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Map of India, 



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TRYE'S YEAR 



AMONG THE HINDOOS. 



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BY 



JULIA CAREIE THOMPSON, 

Author of " Aspenridge " and " Life in Narrow Streets." 



-y -: '^-i.^ 



PHILADELPHIA : 

PEESBYTERIAN BOARD OF PUBLICATION, 

No. 1334 Chestnut Street. 



Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1872, by 

THE TRUSTEES OF THE 

PRESBYTERIAN BOARD OF PUBLICATION, 
In the OfBce of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington. 






ys 



Westcott & Thomson, 
Stereotypers, Philada. 



CONTENTS. 



CHAP. PAGE 

I. — Bombay 7 

IL — The Paesees 14 

III. — Elephanta 23 

IV. — Bombay to Allahabad 33 

v.— The Hindoos 43 

VI. — A Hindoo Wedding 52 

VII.— The Hindoo Widow , 59 

VIII. — In the Zenanas 66 

IX, — Sight-Seeing 73 

X.— The Mutiny , , 80 

XL— The Missionary Martyrs 88 

XII. — FUTTEHGURH AND FURRUEHAB AD 95 

XIII.— The Sadhs, and a Baptism...... 102 

XIV.— The Mohammedans 108 

XV.— The Taj Mahal 115 

XVI. — The Fort and the Pearl Mosque...... 123 

XVIL— Delhi....« 132 

XVIII. — Princes AND Princesses 138 

3 



4 co:ntents. 

CHAP. PAtrB 

XIX. — The Kohinoor, the Begum and the 

Christians 151 

XX. — What we saw at Ambala 158 

XXI. — POON, AND THE MeHTERS 165 

XXII. — Ambala to Dehra 171 

XXIIL— Home-Life 179 

XXIV.— The Koyal Visitor 191 

XXV.— The Girls' School 196 

XXVI. — Dehra Schoolgirls 202 

XXVII. — Elephant Hunt and the Eajah 212 

XXVIII— The Sikhs 219 

XXIX.— Street-Preaching 227 

XXX.— XoBiLiTY IN Tents 235 

XXXI.— Going Up Hill 241 

XXXIL— The Eains 247 

XXXIII.— To the Doon and back 252 

XXXIV.— The Pariah 257 

XXXV.— Sabathu 262 

XXXVI.— LoDiANA 271 

XXXVIL— Lahore 278 

XXXVIII.— Itinerating 289 

XXXIX. — Benares, its Sacred Wells and an East- 
ern Story... 302 



PREFACE. 



The aim of the present volume is to place 
before tlie minds of the young a few pictures 
of the North India of to-day ; principally of 
its people, their religion and habits, the mis- 
sion work among them and the great need 
of more laborers. For some of the finest 
descriptions and most interesting pages of 
the volume the writer acknowledges with 
pleasure her indebtedness to a dear sister 
consecrated to the missionary service, Mrs. 
Charles B. Newton, of Lahore, India. 

The historical and other facts here given 
have all been gathered from authentic 
sources, and if they be so woven in the let- 
ters of Trye Grafton as to deepen the 



6 PREFACE. 

reader's interest in the wonderful land she 
visited, and lead him to put forth one effort 
for the good of its poor idolatrous peoj^le, 
the author will have accomplished her 
purpose. 

Among the books consulted in the prep- 
aration of this work are the following : 
Ward's " India and the Hindoos ;" " Life in 
Bombay ;" Walsh's " Martyred Mission- 
aries ;" Miss Brittain's " Kardoo ;" Lowrie's 
"Manual of Missions;" Sleeman's "Bambles 
and Recollections of an Indian Official;" 
Mrs. Meer Hassan All's "Observations 
on the Mussulmans of India;" and Dr. 
McLeod's "Days in Northen India." 

J. C. T. 

Philadelphia, Pa., June, 1871. 



Teye's Year 

AMOISTQ THE HINDOOS 




I. 

BOMBAY. 

Bombay, October 9, 18 — . 
Y DEAR BROTHER ARGYLE : Here 
at last ! You don't know how glad I am to 
be on dry land once more and have room 
enough to move about. No, nor can I 
begin to tell you how delighted I was to see your 
dear handwriting again. If ever letters were de- 
voured, those awaiting us here certainly belong to 
that class. I am really in India. Think of it! 
The sun is shining fearfully bright and hot while 
you are away around in the earth's shadow, and, I 
hope, having pleasant dreams. Yes, I am in India, 
and that means, too, that I am now to write sen- 
sible letters to you. Father says that we are ex- 
pected to learn a great deal this year, if we are not 

in school. He believes that we don't really know 

7 



8 TBYE'S YEAB. 

anything until we can write it or tell it to another, 
so he wishes me to put down in black and white 
what I learn. He told me to think over the mat- 
ter, and let him know what I considered the best 
and pleasantest mode of doing this. This is one 
of father's ways of showing me just what is best. 
I wouldn't like to have him say to me, " Trye, you 
must do exactly so," but when he tells me to think 
for myself, I always wish he would give me a sort 
of hint as to what would be the very best way. 

I want to please him, of course, and I want to 
do right too, so I set to work thinking. My first 
plan was to write a diary. I have begun about 
ten diaries at different times in my life, but my in- 
terest in them always oozes out before they catch 
any thoughts worth keeping. 

This project was discarded, and I don't know 
what I should have done had not the brilliant idea 
flashed across my mind that I would write to you. 
Yes, that will keep up my enthusiasm, I am sure. 
You will be glad to know just what I do and see 
and learn. You won't ^' view me with a critic's 
eye," but will sympathize with me in pleasures 
and troubles, if I have any, as you have done many 
a time before. It would be dull business for me 
to write all these things in a book for no one to see 



BOMBAY. 9 

but myself. I have enough of my own company 
without writing to myself. 

I gave father my decision, and, of course, he 
asked my reasons for rejecting the diary plan and 
making you the repository of all my Eastern lore. 
(Don't that sound grand ?) I told him as well as 
I could, and he seemed to expect just what I said, 
and in the order, if there were any, in which it 
came. He liked my way, and had believed that I 
would come to the conclusion I did if I only 
thought the matter over. 

Now, dear big brother, you will have to take 
all that comes from my pen, good, bad or indiffer- 
ent. I only wish you could be with us here ; then 
our family would be complete. If you only hadn't 
grown too old for a schoolboy, and got to be a 
doctor that everybody sends for when we want 
him most, I don't doubt that we should have had 
you with us. 

Father and mother both enjoy traveling very 
much, and seem several years younger since they 
have left the cares of home behind them. Chat is 
as full of fun as ever, and quite a tease. Yesterday 
afternoon, when a gentleman was calling on father 
and mother, he came in with a very distressed coun- 
tenance, and announced to me that sixteen of my 



10 TRYE'S YEAR. 

trunks were safe, but the seventeenth was nowhere 
to be found. But you know one cannot feel an- 
noyed with him very long. He and I have some 
grand good times, and he, being a boy of fourteen, 
can go anywhere and see everything, which he 
reports in his own way. Now you have an account 
of the whole family excepting your humble servant, 
Trye. You will have enough of her hereafter. 
You were very kind to remember her sixteenth 
birth-day, which was passed out of sight of land. 

I wonder how girls get along who have no 
brothers like mine? It would be nice to have 
sisters, but then I wouldn't have all the teasing 
and petting and spoiling that I have now. There 
is only one thing to which I have never been quite 
reconciled : father, in his fondness for history, gave 
you boys pretty names of the heroes he admired — 
Argyle and Chatham — while I have to be content 
with Tryphena. I know it is a Bible name, and 
that ought to satisfy me. I suspect mother gave 
me the name because she found it there, but if they 
had hunted in history instead, I might have been 
Maria Theresa, Josephine, Marie Louise, Victoria, 
Alice Maud Mary or something as stately. But 
never mind ; my friends think quite as much of me 
as if they called me by a prettier name than Trye. 



BOMBAY. 11 

Xow for Bombay. You know what a bugbear 
my landing at this place was before I started. I 
have long before this become experienced in land- 
ing in small boats, but was a little troubled when I 
found the tide low, so that even a small boat could 
not reach the shore, and I must be carried by 
natives. You should have seen us coming, one 
after another, on chairs such as we used to make 
with our hands, our arms around the necks of the 
two brown men who carried us. Chat had picked 
up a few Hindoo words while on shipboard, and 
thought this a good time to use them. He fired 
his whole vocabulary at the men who carried him, 
and they, unable to make any sense of it, seemed 
quite troubled at first, but when he burst into a 
laugh they felt privileged to follow his example, 
and enjoyed it amazingly. 

This harbor is a beautiful one. I wish I had a 
picture of it to send you. The city of Bombay is 
on an island of the same name, which is about eight 
miles in length from north to south, and three in 
width. To the north is the island of Salsette. 
Colaba and Old Woman's Island are on the south. 
With Colaba, Bombay is connected by a causeway so 
high as to be above the sea at high tide. Between 
Bombay and Salsette is another causeway with an 



12 TRYE'S YEAR. 

arched stone bridge, besides a second one built for 
the purposes of the great Indian Peninsular Rail- 
way. Within the harbor are some smaller islands. 
Among these are Cross, Butcher, Caranja — which 
is rocky and barren — Elephanta — green and beau- 
tiful — Oondaree and Kundaree islands. 

A large part of Bombay is enclosed by walls, 
and called the fort. It is about a mile long and a 
quarter of a mile in width. The fortifications 
in the town and about the harbor are extremely 
strong, and there appear to be soldiers enough to 
protect the place well. In fact, you soon perceive 
that India belongs to the English. They take the 
lead everywhere, and too often treat the natives 
with contempt. Chat goes out and talks with the 
soldiers whenever he can. He is quite taken with 
their bright uniforms, and asks them all about the 
forts and their own exploits. You know the 
British soldiers wear red coats here as in old 
Britain itself. Chat was out this morning upon 
Dunjanee hill, which is occupied by soldiers, and 
commands the town. He says you can see over 
the city, the islands around and far out upon the 
water. The view must be grand. 

We rode out last evening, for people do not go 
out here for pleasure till about six o'clock, the 



BOMBAY. 13 

heat of the sun is so oppressive. In the centre 
of the town we found a large open space called 
the green, around which are many handsome 
houses and some churches. On the left is a large 
showy house, which we were told is the govern- 
ment house. On the right of the gate is the 
bazaar. Here the native merchants live. Father 
told us as we rode along of two great fires which 
occurred here a long time ago. One was in 1803. 
It destroyed a large number of buildings and much 
property of the native merchants. The other was 
in 1845, in which about two hundred houses were 
burned. While the fire was raging the police 
learned that a house with the upper part in flames 
had in the basement a number of barrels of gun- 
powder. A party of seamen had been drafted 
from ships in the harbor to help put out the fire. 
They forced their way into the burning building 
and brought out the powder, several thousand 
pounds in all. I think they were heroes, don't 
you? And they saved thousands of lives by 
their noble act. But my letter is growing long, 
and I must leave the remainder of my ride for 
another. Your far-off sister, 

Teye. 




II. 

THE PABSEES. 

HIS letter was to be a continuation of the 
last, so I will begin where I left off. I was 
so greatly interested in father's narrative 
that I almost forgot where I was for the 
time, till, just as he ended, we turned and looked 
out upon the west. There was a picture of gor- 
geous beauty such as I had never seen before ; the 
sky and water seemed one blaze of glory. Along 
the beach v/ere a number of men called Parsees 
prostrating themselves and apparently rapt in de- 
votion as they kept rapidly repeating their prayers. 
For the moment it did not seem strange to me 
that they should fall down to reverence such great 
beauty. From mother's lips came the words, "Eye 
hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered 
into the heart of man the things which God hath 
prepared for them that love him," then I thought 
why it was father had said that that verse contained 
the best description of heaven we could have. This 

14 



THE PARSEES. 15 

is what my eyes see, and I cannot imagine anything 
to surpass it, but there is something above far more 
glorious than all this — something more beautiful 
than imagination can picture. 

These were my thoughts as we watched the set- 
ting sun. When it had sunk behind the wat^r, the 
worshipers arose and gathered in groups to enjoy a 
little conversation. Their dress is different from 
that of the Hindoos or Mohammedans, and had at- 
tracted my attention before. They wear loose silk 
trowsers, below which you can see, in many cases, 
English shoes and silk stockings; their coat, or 
outside garment — it isn't much like the coat Eu- 
ropeans wear — is a long tunic of linen or calico 
reaching about to the knee or below. They do not 
wear any sash or belt, as most other natives do, 
although father says their girdle was in former 
times a badge of their sect. They prize cashmere 
shawls very highly, and wear them around their 
shoulders in cool days, instead of giving them to 
their wives and daughters. They have a peculiarly 
shaped headdress of dark, spotted muslin, the 
priests alone wearing a white covering for the 
head. 

I asked father about these strange people when 
we reached home, and he told me several things 



16 TEYE'S YEAR. 

which interested me much. He says they are the 
descendants of the fire-worshipers of Persia — 

" Those slaves of fire who, morn and even, 
Hail their Creator's dwelling-place 
Among the living lights of heaven." 

During the seventh century they took refuge in 
Korassan upon the conquest of their own country by 
the Moslems. They first appeared in India about 
tlie year 766, and their earliest settlement was the 
island Din on the south coast of the peninsula of 
Kattywar; from thence they migrated to Surat and 
Broach, and finally to Bombay. Their religion is 
very strange; I wonder that people so intelligent can 
believe such foolish things. Their Bible is the Zend- 
avesta or Zend Word, which is composed of several 
parts ; in fact, the missionaries have not been able 
to find the book in a collected form. Zoroaster they 
believe to have been the founder of the sect and 
the writer of the book, but most persons who have 
investigated the matter think the book a spurious 
one written since the time of Zoroaster (500 B. c). 
According to this book, there are two deities, 
Hormuzd, the author of good, and Ahriman, the 
author of evil. The Parsees worship not only 
good and evil deities, but almost everything that is 



THE PAESEES. 17 

named in heaven and earth. The earth, fire, water, 
dogs and some other objects are considered espe- 
cially sacred by them. According to their code, ^^ a 
person who strikes a water-dog is treated to ten 
thousand stripes, and he must by way of atonement 
carry ten thousand bundles of dry and the same 
quantity of soft wood to the fires of Hormuzd; 
he must furnish ten thousand barsams (trees) and 
ten thousand zors of pure horn (a kind of tree) and 
its juice. He must kill ten thousand reptiles that 
creep on their bellies, ten thousand reptiles in the 
form of a dog, ten thousand turtles, ten thousand 
land -frogs, ten thousand water-frogs, ten thousand 
ants, ten thousand blood-suckers and ten thousand 
stinging flies, and he must take out ten thousand 
impure stones from the ground.'^ This is only a 
part of the penalty. 

Chatham says he wishes they would strike more 
water-dogs, so as to destroy a few more ten thou- 
sands of vermin. But just think how terrible it is 
for human beings to live and die believing such 
things, when " there is no other name under heaven 
given among men whereby we must be saved !'' 
None other name than that of Jesus. How I wish 
they would all believe what the missionaries tell 
them, and love our dear Saviour ! Some of them 



18 TRYE'S YEAR. 

are Christians, but, as a class, they are bitter op- 
posers of our religion. They have several fine 
temples here in which they worship at sunrise and 
sunset ; this they do by repeating prayers and read- 
ing from the Zendavesta. They are not so devout 
as the Hindoos, and are often absent from their 
temple service. 

Father read to me about one of their burial-places. 
It is almost too dreadful to repeat, but my account 
is hardly complete without it : "A circular un- 
covered building is erected, sometimes from fifty 
to sixty feet in diameter and thirty feet high. It 
is built up within, leaving a parapet about one and 
a half yards high, the interior space sloping with a 
gentle convexity to the centre, where there is a 
well five yards broad. Immediately around this 
well are grooves, in which the bodies of the dead 
are deposited and left exposed to the vultures. As 
soon as these voracious birds have stripped the 
bones, the surviving relatives return to the ceme- 
tery and cast them into the well, whence they are re- 
moved at certain periods by means of subterranean 
passages and flung into the sea." 

Oh how thankful everybody in America ought 
to be for living where people worship the true God I 
I suppose, if we had been taught to worship the 



THE PARSEES. 19 

sun or fire or idols, like these poor people, we would 
have done as they do, and yet it seems strange that 
they cannot see how wrong they are. It isn't be- 
cause they are ignorant in other things. I used to 
think that all the natives whom the missionaries 
went to teach were savages, but they are not in 
India. Some of these people are among the most 
intelligent in the world. 

The Parsees are fine business-men, the brokers 
and factors of the Europeans. They speculate too. 
Chat says he would like to see them on Wall street, 
and seems to think that the sharp men there would 
not be likely to outstrip them in the race for money. 
They are excellent carpenters, shipbuilders and 
jewelers too. In fact, they seem to succeed in 
whatever they undertake. As you may imagine, 
they are rich and own many of the handsome 
houses in Bombay ; one of the finest of these was 
built by the celebrated Parsee gentleman. Sir Jam- 
setjee Jejeebhoy. What a singular name, isn't it? 
He was the first native of India who was made an 
English baronet. 

At the time of the Crimean war he contributed 
so largely for the suffering British soldiers that 
Queen Victoria gave him the title of knight, after- 
ward that of baronet. According to the Parsee 



20 TRYE'S YEAR. 

custom, his son would take the name of Jamsetjee, 
and his first name would descend to his son, and so 
on. In that way the name Jejeebhoy would be en- 
tirely lost with the death of its owner. In order 
to retain this last name in the family, a clause in 
the patent of the creation of that baronetcy makes 
the heirs to the title all Jejeebhoys. 

This gentleman built two large hospitals and the 
magnificent causeway between Bombay and Sal- 
sette, besides doing many other good deeds. Father 
has become acquainted with two or three of these gen- 
tlemen, and called with a friend at the house of one 
of them. The house is a very large one, and you 
will not wonder that it is when I tell you that four 
generations of the family live in it. When the sons 
and grandsons marry, they bring their wives home, 
so the family becomes very large. The gentlemen 
went no farther than the general reception-room, 
and said they were highly entertained by the old 
grandfather with several of his sous, grandsons and 
great-grandsons. 

The women occupy a long room furnished with 
couches ; the old grandmother rules here, and what 
she says to her daughters-in-law, her granddaugh- 
ters and great-granddaughters has to be obeyed. 
It is said to be a sight to see the jewels these 



TJS[E PARSEES. 21 

people wear, even to the little babies. " Strings of 
large diamonds, emeralds and pearls hang from 
the neck to the waist, while the arms are almost 
hidden from above the elbow to the wrist by the 
numerous bangles or bracelets composed of valu- 
able jewels." They wear also jewels in the nose, 
and their ears are much disfigured by being per- 
forated all around and heavy pendants hanging 
from them. They wear what they call a saree over 
their head, so as to hide their hair altogether ; they 
are said to have beautiful hair, and it seems a pity 
to have it hidden from view. I am sure they 
would look pretty if they dressed as we do. 

They are kept imprisoned in their own rooms 
very much as the Hindoo women are. That is their 
custom, although many of them now ride out with 
their husbands, and really have as much liberty as 
other ladies. The girls are married when children, 
and go to live at the houses of their fathers-in-law. 
These Parsees form only a small part of the in- 
habitants of Hindostan ; there are, however, 
seventy-five thousand of them in Bombay. 

I hope to tell you something of the other people 
hereafter, but there is such a variety that I can 
only attend to one class at a time. You see here 
Hindoos, Mohammedans^ Persians, Armenians, 



22 TP.YE'S YEAR. 

Parsees, Portuguese and English. The Portuguese 
appear to have sunk rather than risen in life from 
their long sojourn in India. Their complexion is 
now darker than that of many of the aborigines 
of Asia. Many of them have residences in the 
settlement of Goa, some distance south of here, and 
leave their families that they may become cooks, 
tailors, and sometimes clerks, for the British at 
Bombay. 

I begin to understand the saying that '^ it takes 
all sorts of people to make a world," and have 
learned that I know very little about this same old 
planet. Probably you will say that you could have 
told me this latter fact before I left home, but 
never mind ; I mean to know something before my 
return. 





III. 

ELEPHANTA. 

J ERE we are, still at Bombay, and I am glad 
to have remained longer than we at first in- 
tended, for we have had a delightful day at 
Elephanta, which I must tell you about. 
The party consisted of our English friends, the 
Stanhopes, who were our traveling companions 
from Egypt, with Mr. Stanhope's nephew. Ensign 
Bartley, ourselves and almost as many servants. 
The air is now delightful ; the rains are over, and 
we are sure of pleasant weather every day. It is 
still very warm, however, in the sunshine, and we 
new-comers are especially warned against being in 
it, even when it may be a pleasant change from the 
cool shade. For this reason, as well as to make a 
long day, we breakfasted early and started for the 
famous island while the sun could do no more than 
peep at us from above the distant mountains. 

Our little boat was about two hours in reaching 
the island, but the sail was so delightful that the 
time seemed short. Elephanta is about six miles 

23 



24 TBYE'S YEAR, 

in circumference, but it looks larger as we sail 
toward it, probably because of its hills, which give 
it a more dignified appearance than have the level 
islands. We can see from the boat the two rana^es 
of hills running the entire length, and the valley 
between them. Father said that was the. way he 
liked to study any subject — first, to have a bird's- 
eye view (ours was the view of a w^ater-bird — a 
duck, for instance) of the whole, then examine in 
detail. I suppose that is the way he has learned 
so much. For my part, I wasn't studying much 
just then, though I was having a picture photo- 
graphed on my mind which will always stay there. 
But the business of the hour was having some 
lively conversation and a good time generally. 
Miss Priscilla and I had become pretty well ac- 
quainted, and the young ensign laughed and talked 
with Chat. The older people, too, seemed bent on 
enjoying themselves to the utmost, and so we neared 
the island — only neared it : the boats could not 
touch it. 

" Here we are !" said Chat. " All hands are to 
w^ade ashore." 

" No, indeed," I said, "I would get on your 
back, but I don't dare trust you; I'd surely go 
into the water." 



ELEPHANTA. 25 

By this time the strong brown men were 'ready 
for us, and each took a passenger in his arms as if 
we were all children. I shrunk back at first — 
this was worse than being carried by two — but the 
others laughed, and the man assured us that his 
arms were strong and his feet sure, so I had to sub- 
mit. Chat said when I was at Elephanta I must 
expect to do as the elephants did, which joke was 
rather too solid for me to appreciate. It was a re- 
lief, though, when once more on land and the whole 
day before me, in which I need not think of the 
return. 

A steep path leads from the landing to the wide 
platform from which we enter the principal cave. 
We all clambered up this, and had our lunch bas- 
kets and other comforts brought to the cave, then 
stopped to look at the scenery. The view from 
this point, embracing the harbor filled with ship- 
ping and the surrounding islands, is grand. We 
w^ere as quiet in enjoying it as we had before been 
talkative, but we w-ere all anxious to see the cave. 
The entrance to this one is as wide as the cavern 
itself, and we could see in the interior its whole 
length of Qne hundred and thirty feet. 

The massive pillars form a fine perspective, 
ending in the centre with the figure of a three- 



26 TRYE'S YEAR. 

formed god, or Trimiirtri, as it is called. We 
passed in, examining the pillars as we went. They 
are very elaborately carved, and so large that we 
felt no fear of the mountain coming down upon us. 
Isn't it wonderful ? These caves are cut out of the 
solid rock by man ; he has carved these pillars and 
left them to support the weight above. The walls, 
too, and ceiling, are covered with fine work. It 
must have taken many men and much time to do 
it. Mr. Stanhope says there is a tradition that in 
former times the Brahmins knew of a process by 
which the hardest stone could be made soft ; they 
then worked in it as they chose, and when again 
exposed to the air it became hard as before. 

" That sounds, sir, like Hannibal's noted exploit 
of softening rocks with boiling vinegar,'' Chat said. 

" Yes ; it is about the same thing, and I suppose 
one story is as true as the other. I wish the work 
had been left as it was made," 

I had noticed that the pillars at the entrance 
were very much defaced, and as we passed along 
found all the others in the same state. 

" Who has been so rude as to mar this beautiful 
work ?" asked father. " I notice that the British 
protect them now." 

"Yes," said Mr. Stanhope, "they do the best 



ELEPHANTA. 27 

they can, but a finger or toe will disappear from 
an image even yet. But, to answer your question, 
the Portuguese were the iconoclasts who seemed to 
think it a duty to remove, as far as possible, all 
traces of any religion at variance with their own. 
They have broken down pillars and mutilated im- 
ages all over the island, as you will see. But here 
we are before the Trimurtri.'' 

This singular image is immensely large we find 
in coming near it. It stands on a raised platform 
approached by steps, and rises eighteen feet above 
that, Mr. Stanhope said. The three figures are 
only busts, so you may know that they are enor- 
mously large. I asked father whom they were in- 
tended to represent. He said it is the Hindoo 
trinity. The words startled me ; I asked him if 
these heathens who worship idols have a trinity, as 
w^e have. 

" They believe in what they have here tried to 
represent,^^ he said — " a triune deity — and in that 
fact, as in others of their religion, we see that they 
have many ideas which came at first from the true 
faith, but their religion is now that of the grossest 
idolatry. Their principal god is Brahm; he is 
supposed to be a spirit, and is not worshiped fro<n 
the fact that after creating the universe he fell 



28 TBYE'S YEAR. 

asleep and takes no further interest in the affairs 
of men. He gave existence, however, to the three 
represented here — Brahma, the creator, Vishnu, 
the preserver, and Siva, the destroyer. These 
are worshiped separately. You will see in our 
farther travels those persons who worship each, 
and the marks which tell you the fact. How 
unlike our glorious Three in One, whose service 
is love !" 

I was looking at the giant figures all this while, 
and you don't know how intensely sorry I felt for 
those who were taught to believe in such gods as 
these. Brahma, the principal one, has a coarse, 
hard face; he occupies the middle and most promi- 
nent place. He is supported on the one side by 
Vishnu and on the other by Siva. Siva has a 
large snake in his hand ; this is a favorite symbol 
both with him and his wife Parhuttee or Parvathi. 
There is something in all these faces that would 
drive you away from them — nothing to make you 
love them. 

"This room is one hundred and thirty feet long," 
father said, after measuring, " and one hundred and 
twenty-three wide." This width includes two 
large rooms, one on each side of the Trimurtri. 
We went into these rooms. 



ELEPHANTA. 29 

" They are dedicated to the worship of Siva and 
Parhuttee/^ said Mr. Stanhope ; " that double figure 
you see in each is Siva and his wife/' 

" Yes," said Chat, " there's the snake ; I think I 
shall know that fellow when I see him again.'' 

"Those smaller images," continued Mr. Stan- 
hope, "are of Brahma and Vishnu, but they are not 
at all prominent here. Brahma is seated on a 
lotus — that, you know, is a kind of water-lily. 
Vishnu is on the back of his favorite eagle Ga- 
runda." 

" There are so few priests to be seen," said 
father, " that I imagine the people do not now wor- 
ship here." 

" No," said Mr. Stanhope ; " the few Brahmins 
you see strolling about here are on a visit or pil- 
grimage to a spot they think no longer sacred. The 
ruined state in which these temples are now is 
j)roof to them that they have been abandoned by 
the gods. This, as you will see, is the finest one 
and in the best state of preservation of the many 
in these hills. A part of them are supposed to be 
visharos or monasteries for the once numerous 
priesthood of Buddhism, such as exist now more 
particularly in Siam." 

" If that be so," returned father, " they cannot 



30 TRYE'S YEAB. 

date back farther than the sixth century before 
Christ, for then the founder of that sect lived. '^ 

" It is now generally supposed/' said Mr. Stan- 
hope, "that they are of more recent origin than 
that period, but when the vast work was done, we 
have no means of knowing. Thousands of men 
must have wrought here whose very names have all 
passed away.'' 

In one of the side rooms is a spring of pure cold 
water, which was a delightful surprise to us. You 
ought to have seen u& as we sat down on broken 
pillars, or whatever we could find in that place, 
with the stern gods staring at us and figures look- 
ing down upon us from the walls. It gave me a 
strange sensation, and I looked around to see if I 
was really with friends. In the mean time. Chat 
sat looking down upon himself, first at one hand, 
then at the other, then inspecting his boots one 
after the other, and finally pulled out his handker- 
chief in rather a troubled manner and twisted it 
about every way until he could read his name. 
Mother said to him, " Chat, what are you doing ?" 

"Only trying to find out ^if I be Ij' mother, 
have you a looking-glass with you ? I'd like to 
know for certain," he said as gravely as a judge. 

You may know that we all shouted at that, and 



ELEPHANTA. 31 

concluded that we were all ourselves, even if we 
had got into a queer place. Our lunch-time came 
very early, for we had remarkable appetites that 
day, and the pure cold water was a luxury truly 
appreciated. I think that we all tried to follow 
the rule given in our physiology to promote diges- 
tion, for we had plenty of cheerful conversation. 

Ensign Bartley gave an experience of his which 
I must tell you. He arrived here at the beginning 
of the hot weather, and wore the comfortable fa- 
tigue-dress which most officers prefer at that season. 
Meantime, his handsome scarlet uniform arrived 
from England, and after examining it he folded it 
up and replaced it in the box until it should be 
needed. Early in the autumn the governor-general 
arrived at Bombay, and every officer wanted to 
appear in his very best at the reception of that of- 
ficial. The ensign thought himself prepared to 
make a fine appearance, and drew out the box con- 
taining the new clothes. You may imagine his 
surprise and dismay to find the whole suit com- 
pletely riddled by the white ants. It would not 
hold together to be taken out of the box. It was 
a sore disappointment to him, and he had to greet 
the governor-general in what he had. 

Before returning we visited some of the other 



32 TBYE'S YEAR. 

caves, but none are so spacious or in so good a state 
of preservation as this. The native name for the 
island is Gareepoori, or place of caves. The name 
Elephanta was given by the Portuguese from a co- 
lossal figure of an elephant cut out of solid rock 
and occupying the most prominent position in the 
island. We could see that the figure had been in- 
tended for an elephant, but the head and neck are 
gone and a considerable part of the trunk and lower 
limbs are buried in the earth. 

How I wish you could have been with us that 
day ! I know you would have enjoyed it. But I 
hope you will come here some time and see all these 
sights for yourself. 





IV. 

BOMBAY TO ALLAHABAD, 

[OU will perceive, my dear brother, from my 
Allahabad postmark, that we have made 
quite a change in our position since I last 
^^ wrote you. Yes, it is a much greater dis- 
tance from Bombay to Allahabad than I supposed 
when studying the map of Hindoostan at home, 
for the map of this country is always made so 
small compared with that of ours. In this letter 
I shall not attempt to give any idea of the scenes 
around me, but will confine myself to the journey 
here. 

On the afternoon of Monday we took cars for 
Nagpore, a ride of twenty-seven hours. The coun- 
try through which we passed is the most beautiful 
I have seen in India, and reminds me very much 
of American scenery. The first afternoon we were 
in the valley of the Western Ghauts, crossing them 
at sunset. Many of the peaks of the Ghauts are 
of remarkable beauty, being composed of strata of 
soft rock which has crumbled away, leaving them 

3 33 



34 TEYE'S YEAR. 

with sharp, square corners as if they had been chis- 
eled out by human hands. One hill has a high, 
rectangular base covered with grass or a green veg- 
etation, surmounted by an immense rocky pile with 
columns and spires, looking like a great old cathe- 
dral. On another hill, somewhat similar in form, 
are columns standing near a huge pile of rock, the 
whole resembling the ruins of an ancient temple. 

The trees of India are my constant admiration, 
and I must tell you about them when I know them 
better. There are the peepul, the bamboo, mango, 
mimosa, teak, acacia and many others all new to 
me. The teak is used extensively in shipbuilding ; 
the wood is said to be as hard as that of our live- 
oak, and it will not corrode iron nails and bolts. 

The shipyards of Bombay obtain much of their 
lumber from the Ghauts. 

But our sunsets ! They are so magnificent that I 
cannot help speaking of them again and again. I 
thought the first three I saw in India the most gor- 
geous I had seen in my life, such richness and 
mellowness of color combined. Then, they extend 
over a vast space of sky and are of very long du- 
ration. But to come back to terra firma. I was 
struck with the number of English people every- 
where and their complete control of the country. 



BOMBAY TO ALLAHABAD. 35 

Every place of importance seems to have its bri- 
gade, or, at least, company, of troops, besides the 
civil officers. I have seen fewer English tradesmen 
than I expected ; their settlements are always dis- 
tinct from the native town. 

For residences they have bungalows and large 
compounds. The compound is simply the grounds 
of the house, and is frequently two or three acres in 
extent. At some central place are the chakarieSj or 
offices, churches, English stores and public build- 
ings. The railway stations are provided with sub- 
stantial buildings; those in Northern India are 
very fine structures of brick or stone. Between 
Bombay and Nagpore every d6p6t has its little 
fliower-beds of marigolds, zinias, four o'clocks, cy- 
press vine and globe amaranths, giving it a bright, 
cheerful appearance. The natives are very fond of 
flowers, and frequently cultivate them even in their 
miserable mud villages. Indeed, almost every hut 
we saw had its coarse vine running over the roof. 
Prince's feather seems to be their favorite. 

We arrived at Nagpore on Tuesday afternoon 
and remained until Thursday afternoon. How 
glad we were to see the missionaries there. They 
seem to us old friends whenever we meet them in 
this heathen world. Rev. Mr. Cooper and his good 



36 TBYE'S YEAB. 

wife, of the free Scotch mission, are at work here, 
besides the English missionaries. They have a 
girls' school in their compound : that is such a 
singular name for a yard that it will take me a 
long time to get used to it. We visited this school, 
orphanage, as it is called, and the girls seemed as 
bright and well behaved as those in our schools at 
home. They are quite dark, and persons say not 
as good-looking as the natives farther north. 

They are called Mahrattas, and I have been ask- 
ing father about them. He says that, according to 
some writers, they emigrated from the West of 
Persia about the seventh century ; others say they 
are from Arabia or Egypt. At any rate, they are 
Hindoos of the Soodra or laboring caste, and even 
their chieftains, the head men of their villages, 
belonged originally to that low rank. They are 
not at all strict in religious observances, and eat 
animal food, with the exception of beef. They are 
often cruel and treacherous. 

The founder of the Mahratta empire was Sevajee, 
the son of an officer in the service of a Moham- 
medan king of Bejapoor. He lived in the seven- 
teenth century. " Having collected an army among 
the mountains, he overthrew the kingdom of Beja- 
poor, and gradually united under his rule the mul- 



BOMBAY TO ALLAHABAD. 37 

titade of petty states among which the Mahrattas 
were divided. In 1819, after a long war, the 
Mahratta power was overthrown, the peishwa a 
prisoner, his title and authority abolished." 

The native teacher in this school is a woman 
named Veranna, whom the pupils like very much, 
and who is really remarkable. She understands four 
different languages besides the English, and is a 
great assistance to the missionaries. During the cool 
weather it is their custom to leave their home and 
go out in the country to do good to the people in 
the wretched mud villages. While Mr. Cooper 
preaches to the men, Mrs. Cooper and Yeranna 
gather the women around them and talk to them 
of Jesus. The people about there are a mixed race 
and speak different languages, so it is often neces- 
sary for Veranna to act as interpreter. Sometimes 
she talks to them herself of the Bible and Christ 
and the way to be saved. Then the poor women 
listen with great eagerness, and wonder that a 
woman can know so much. 

Father tried to get bullock gharries to take us to 
Jubbelpore, but could not succeed. These gharries 
are a sort of wagon with cushioned seats, and are 
very comfortable, if not so beautiful as they might 
be. He then obtained what are called daks, for 



38 TEYE'S YEAR. 

"which he had to pay one hundred rupees, or fifty 
dollars, apiece, to take us one hundred and seventy 
miles. They are convenient little stage-coaches, 
having a broad seat in each end. They would 
easily accommodate four persons during the day, 
but as they are intended for night traveling also, 
only two grown persons are allowed to occupy one. 
Over the space between the seats a cushioned board 
is drawn at night. We take our pillows, wraps 
and blankets, make a bed and, if possible, sleep. 

Every five or six miles are stations, where we 
obtain new relays of horses, and for the mode of 
starting them read Carleton's " ]^[ew Way Around 
the World." He doesn't exaggerate in the least. 
Chat had been reading that part of the book and 
laughing over it, but we were not expecting quite 
such an experience. I wish you could have seen 
us at the first station. In trying to start, we had a 
man at each wheel turning it, another pulling at 
the horses' heads, another at the side of the horse 
pushing, the driver meantime laying on the whip 
in an unmerciful way. When we did start, I feared 
the horses would break everything to pieces, at 
such a speed they went. 

i At one station we took a balky horse. Three 
different times he lay down on the ground, and as 



BOMBAY TO ALLAHABAD. 39 

often rose with a spring of nearly six feet in the 
air. A rope was pot around the horse's body, and 
two men pulled with all their might at the ends. 
Many other means were tried and a good hour's 
detention was endured before we were started. On 
Friday we made a three hours' halt — from eleven 
o'clock till two — at a bungalow. We had rice and 
chicken curry and cJiapatas (cakes of flour and 
water) cooked for us. Every one did full justice 
to the lunch, I assure you. 

While we were eating, a party of jugglers came 
along, and I wish you could have seen them. Chat 
said he couldn't " see through " any of their tricks, 
and you know he has found out several that he saw at 
home. A woman began th-e performance by taking 
a bamboo twenty feet long and placing it upright 
on flat stones. She then climbed to the top with 
the greatest ease in the world. I held my breath 
as she neared the top, expecting her to fall to the 
ground ; but no, she stood upon one foot on the 
point of the pole, balancing it all the while. 
Around her waist she had a girdle to which was 
fastened an iron socket. She sprang from her posi- 
tion and threw herself forward, so that the end of 
the pole entered the socket in her belt, and she 
lay upon it face downward. She spun around in 



40 TBYE'S YEAR. 

this horizontal position so rapidly as to make 
you dizzy to look at her. To vary the per- 
formance, she turned her feet backward till her 
heels touched her shoulders, and grasping her 
ankles in her hands, continued to revolve, looking 
more like a ball than anything else. Finally, she 
slid down the pole, and stood upon the ground be- 
fore us as composedly as if she had been there all 
the while. 

Before we had fairly recovered from our surprise 
a man came near us and spread upon the ground a 
cloth about the size of a sheet. In a short time it 
began to move upward. The man raised it, and 
several pine-apples had grown there. He gave 
them to us as a proof that they were the real article, 
and they certainly were, if we can believe the sense 
of taste. After showing some more feats as won- 
derful as these and asking us for " backsheesh/' 
they were off, and so were we. 

Saturday morning we arrived at Jubbelpore, 
stayed at a hotel till afternoon, when we took cars 
for Allahabad, where we arrived near midnight. 
We were tired enough to sleep w^ell that night, but 
were up in good season the next morning and ready 
to look around us. The house we were in was a 
bungalow, and such a good specimen of those oc- 



BOMBAY TO ALLAHABAD. 41 

cupled by Europeans that I will describe it. The 
walls are plastered inside and out and floors ce- 
mented, so that the only wood-work is the slight 
door-frames and window-frames, sashes and doors. 
The roof is thatched and very pointed, covering, 
besides the house itself, a broad verandah which 
nearly surrounds three sides of it. From a distance 
this roof looks like a huge extinguisher placed over 
the house. 

Entering through a double door at the front — 
all the doors are double and have windows in them — 
we are in the parlor. This is a room twenty-two 
feet high, with the neatest and freshest of walls, 
white overhead, stained yellow at the sides and 
having a very neat cornice. The room, being a 
long one, has a wide screen across the centre, which 
makes a dining-room of the back part. At the left 
we enter a large sleeping-room ; back of this is a 
smaller one, off which is a bath-room. The bath- 
room in India is an indispensable part of a house, 
and, I might almost say, of every sleeping-room. 
The space to the right of the parlor is divided in 
much the same way ; the floors are covered with 
native matting ; the windows and doors have cur- 
tains of red calico, which contrast finely with the 
dark-stained wood. The pretty, inexpensive pic- 



42 TBYE'S YEAR. 

tares on the walls add a charm to the rooms, and 
the house has a homelike, beautiful appearance. 

That morning we attended native service. How 
strange it seemed to hear a sermon in an unknown 
tongue ! The natives, however, listened to it with 
the utmost attention. Many of them have learned 
to abandon the false gods of their country, and to 
put their trust in One ^^able to save." In the 
evening we went to the free Scotch church, where 
there was a full house. The governor of the 
north-west provinces, Sir William Muir, with his 
wife, occupied the front seat. I hope to see more 
of the city before writing again, but, for the pres- 
ent, adieu. 





V. 

THE HINDOOS, 

■om WENT out this morning to walk with 

)1 father and Chat. It was a beautiful morn- 
ing, and so many strange things to see in 
the streets of Allahabad. I wish you could 
have been with us. There are many sad sights, too. 
We passed a man who was standing on one foot, 
and who, they tell us, had been standing there, day 
after day, for nearly twenty years. He was a very 
filthy and wretched-looking object. I asked father 
why he was there. 

" He is what is called a fakir ^^ father said, " or 
a very holy person. He thinks by doing as he 
does that he will please the gods. You see his 
long hair ; that is smeared with the manure of the 
cow, which they consider a very sacred animal.'' 

" Yes," Chat said ; " I found that out yesterday. 
I was looking about me, and the first thing I knew 
two cows came along and began to help themselves 
to the things outside of one of the little ovens they 

43 



44 TBYE'S YEAR, 

call shops. I thought it very strange that nobody 
drove them away, so when I came up one put her 
nose rather too near me, and I gave her a good 
crack with the stick I had in my hand. In an in- 
stant the natives swarmed around me and began 
talking in a very loud manner, and made me under- 
stand that I had done something very wicked. One 
man who spoke English told me w^hat was the 
matter, and an Englishman who came along just 
then explained to them, or I don't know as I would 
ever have got out of their clutches.'^ 

" Yes,'' said father ; " they consider it a great 
crime to strike these animals. They would have 
let them trample under foot everything in the shop, 
rather than touch them." 

Just in the outskirts of the city we passed a man 
who had an earthen jar of milk in his hand. Chat, 
as usual, wanted to see what the man had and what 
he was going to do with it, so he went toward him 
till his shadow fell on the jar ; it was quite early, 
so our shadows w^ere long. What do you think 
the man did? He stepped aside, so that our 
shadows would not pollute him, then took up the 
jar and dashed it to the ground. Father said he 
was a Brahmin, and could not touch any food pre- 
pared by one of a lower caste without losing his 



THE HINDOOS. 45 

own, nor could he eat it after another's shadow had 
fallen upon it. We should sometimes forget about 
these things, I am sure, but they never do. Father 
told us about a man of high caste in the army who 
fell down in a faint. The surgeon ordered a ser- 
vant of low caste to throw water upon him. In 
consequence of this, none of his companions would 
associate with him, and the poor fellow soon after 
killed himself. 

I asked father more about the Hindoos and their 
caste last evening as we sat on the verandah, and 
he told us much of them. He says there are four 
principal castes, the Brahmins, Kshatnas, Yeishas 
and Soodras, but there are a great many subdi- 
visions of each of these. The Brahmins are said 
to have proceeded from the mouth of Brahma, 
showing that they were to be above all other 
mortals. They are the scribes and Pharisees of 
the Hindoos, although many of them attend to 
ordinary business. They are always honored by 
those below them in rank, and are very proud and 
overbearing. 

Since the English have had possession of the 
country, and especially since railroads have been in 
operation here, the Brahmins have learned a num- 
ber of lessons to their advantage. They cannot 



46 TRYE'S YEAR. 

have a car all to themselves, so they have to sit 
where others have sat, and even to be touched by 
those of lower caste. 

It must be very hard for those of them who 
become Christians ; they literally have to leave all 
for Jesus. A Brahmin gentleman here — or babu, 
as such are called — was converted not long ago, 
and was cast out by his family entirely penniless. 
None of his former friends would patronize him in 
business, so that he was poor and failed for a long 
time to get employment. His wife came with him, 
and they struggled along together for some time 
before they could get a comfortable living. Yet 
they never once regretted the step they had taken. 
I thought before I loved Jesus that it would be 
very hard to give up the world, but I see now that 
I didn't know anything about making sacrifices. 
I will copy something which father read to us of 
the Brahmins, and which I think will interest you 
as it did us : 

" When the young Brahmin is twelve days old, 
a feast is held, with many curious rites, for giving 
him a name. When six months old, there is a 
second feast, to attend to the important step of 
giving him his first solid food. Two years later 
the child has his head shaved, his nails pared and 



THE HINDOOS. 47 

his ears bored with many ceremonies, to the sound 
of music. Again, at about nine years of age, comes 
the more important and complicated ceremony of 
investing him witli the sacred cord of one hundred 
and eight threads, made of cotton gathered and 
spun by Brahmins. This cord he ever after wears 
over his left shoulder, across the breast to the right 
hip. \ 

" At this time he is first taught the unspeakably 
sacred prayer called the gayatri, which no other ear 
must ever hear. Now he becomes a ' twice-born ' 
Brahmin. When married, he becomes qualified for 
the duties, honors and privileges of the priesthood. 
He must eat no meat, nor anything that has had 
life ; he must drink no spirituous liquors ; he must 
use no vessel for cooking or eating that has been 
used by any one of a lower caste. If a Soodra but 
look upon the pot in which his rice is boiling, it 
must be broken. He cannot receive water from 
any but a Brahmin, nor can he have a Soodra as a 
servant in his house. A man of any other caste, 
even though a king, is too impure to hand food to 
a Brahmin beggar." 

Although I have mentioned the Hindoos often 
in my letters, I have not told you how they look. 
Of course you know a great deal about them — ■ 



48 TRYE'S YEAR. 

perhaps all I can tell you — but what we see with 
our own eyes appears more true than the same 
things told by somebody of whom Vv^e know noth- 
ing. It is a wonder to me every day of my life to 
see these people, who look like the pictures so often 
shown us. I used to think of them as if they were 
about as far away as the moon, but now that I have 
really traveled to their home, the distance from 
ours doesn't seem so very great. The pictures give 
you a better idea of their appearance than all I can 
say about them. 

Their bodies are not large, and often quite slen- 
der. Some of the w^omen have very fine forms, and 
are really beautiful. You know they belong to the 
same race that we do, and have as delicate features. 
The Brahmins, ordinarily (not always), are light in 
color, and the castes grow darker as they descend 
the scale. You soon learn to know a Hindoo from 
a Mohammedan, or one of any other class. " The 
garments worn by the men consist of a loose piece 
of white muslin, in which there are neither strings, 
buttons nor pins, wound close about the waist, and 
falling below the knees, with a second of finer ma- 
terial, though similar color, thrown across the 
shoulder, like a Roman toga, and, except the head, 
arms and feet, covering the entire body." 



THE HINDOOS. 49 

Most of those we see here wear a turban on the 
head. This article consists of a long and narrow 
strip of muslin wound upon a block of the right 
size and shape, when damp, as our milliners press 
hats. Before a Hindoo puts on a new garment, he 
pulls a few threads from it and offers them to some 
god, that it may wear well. Sandals are worn on 
the feet by some of the people, but the most of 
them go barefoot ; stockings are almost unknown 
among them. Our manner of dressing the feet 
would greatly hinder them in their work, for they 
use their toes in very many ways. The tailor 
twists his thread with them ; the carpenter holds a 
board with his toes while he planes it ; the driver 
sometimes pulls the tail of an ox to quicken his 
pace or picks up what has fallen to the ground in 
the same way. Then the sewing-men — I know 
you would laugh if you saw one sew. The men 
here do the sewing instead of the women. 

If you take the material for a dress to a dersey, 
and another dress as a pattern, you may be assured 
that he will make the new one exactly like the old 
one. It will fit just as w^ell, too, although he has 
not ripped a seam-^to aid him in cutting the new 
cloth. To do all this, he don't sit in a sewing- 
chair by the window, as we would, but you will find 



60 TETE'S TEAR. 

him on the verandah floor holding the work with 
his toes, and drawing the needle out from him in- 
stead of toward him, as we would do. It looks 
very awkward to me, but I suppose it is less dif- 
ficult to him than our way would be. 

Many of the Hindoos become very well educated 
and adopt many of our customs. In the cities 
you will see a number of native gentlemen dressed 
very much like the Europeans. If it is in cool 
weather, they will have a valuable camePs-hair 
shawl around their shoulders. 

The dress of the women is very simple. These 
poor women I pity every time I think of them ; I 
will tell you more of them hereafter. The saree 
is the chief article of clothing, and is a long piece 
of cotton, muslin or silk, wrapped around the 
middle and falling in graceful folds below the 
knees. One end is gathered in a bunch in front, 
while the other crosses the breast and is thrown 
over the shoulder. It is from seven to ten yards in 
length, and may cost from a dollar upward. The 
end is thrown over the head, and is called the chud- 
dah in this part of India. A good many of them 
wear, besides this, a sacque with half sleeves fitting 
the form. 

They wear a great many ornaments ; these orna- 



THE HINDOOS. 61 

ments are of gold and silver, precious stooes and 
the imitations of these. Their arms are sometimes 
loaded with bracelets, and pendants hang from the 
ear and the nose. The fingers and toes are deco- 
rated with rings, and necklaces of gold, precious 
stones, beads of glass or coral are hung about the 
neck. Children wear but little clothing when quite 
young, but generally have a number of ornaments 
upon them. They call their jewels their "joys.'' 
Chat says it is mail-time, so I must close abruptly. 





YI. 

A HINDOO WEDDING. 

NE of the missionary ladies told me more 
about the Hindoo women to-day, and it 
made me feel very sad. She says the 
women of the high caste always live in 
their houses, and are never seen by any gentlemen, 
except their fathers, brothers and husbands. The 
women are never mentioned by the men ; it would 
be considered an insult to ask one about his wife or 
daughter. A Hindoo, being asked how many chil- 
dren he has, gives only the number of his sons. 
One, in answer to this question, said, "I have no 
children — only three girls.'' When a son is born 
into the family, it is a source of great rejoicing; 
many rites are performed by the priest and much 
money is given him for his services, but when a 
daughter comes the event is generally considered a 
calamity. The first few years of her life are her 
happiest. She is usually engaged to be married at 
five or six years of age, and is married at nine or 

ten. If the parents have not succeeded in finding 
52 



A HINDOO WEDDING. 53 

a husband for her by that time, they believe that 
their ancestors for five or six generations will suffer 
in consequence. If she is married when very small, 
she remains at home for a few years, going oc- 
casionally to her husband's house, but otherwise 
she is taken there at once, and seldom returns. 

There are a good many ceremonies connected 
with a Hindoo wedding, and some variety in them. 
My missionary friend told me of three which had 
been described to her by the women in the houses 
where they occurred. One of them is so like the 
description of one in " Kardoo " that I will quote 
from that in trying to give you some idea of the 
strange performances they have. It is a marriage 
in high life. 

After the barber, or some other household official, 
has made the match, and the fathers think it the 
proper time for the marriage to take place, the 
bride's father tells the mother to prepare for the 
wedding at such a time. Then there is a great ex- 
citement in the family. Sweetmeats and curries 
have to be made and presents of fruits, sweetmeats, 
etc., are exchanged daily. Many thousand rupees' 
worth of jewels are bought by the bride's father and 
given to her, these forming her wedding dowry. 
When the bride goes to live at her husband's house, 



54 TBYE'S YEAR. 

her mother-in-law takes possession of these, and 
she is never allowed to wear them except by her 
permission, and then only such as she chooses to 
let her have. Sometimes a wedding costs so much 
that the family are impoverished by it for years. 

For two weeks before the wedding the little bride 
is constantly bathed in perfumed water, her feet and 
hands dyed each day afresh with henna, and the 
last four days she is obliged to sit holding in her 
hand a little instrument with which to blacken her 
eyelids and lashes. This is in shape like a teaspoon 
with a cover. Toward evening of her wedding- 
day she is bathed in rose-water, her feet and hands 
dyed afresh. She is dressed in a silk saree, some- 
times embroidered with gold. In her ears, on her 
head, neck, arms, ankles, and even from her waist, 
are ornaments of gold and precious stones. In the 
gods' house, or the room for worship, the two 
fathers sit with the gooroOy or priest, of each 
family. This is the first scene. These gooroos go 
through a tedious set form of an hour or two, 
telling the fathers-in-law what is their duty, and 
making all necessary settlements and promises. 
The babus in the mean time go about among the 
guests, sprinkling them with rose-water from a little 
silver vase, and some of the boys present to each 



A HINDOO WEBBING, 55 

guest a bouquet of flowers and throw a wreath of 
white flowers around each person's neck. Again, 
a small silver box is passed among the higher class 
of guests, filled with exquisite perfume. Into this 
each one dips his fingers. 

Then is heard a shout, "The bridegroom comes !'' 
How like the same announcement in the time of 
our Saviour, "Behold the Bridegroom cometh!" 
Five or six little girls of the house not over six 
years of age, with lighted torches, run through the 
court out into the street, and bring in the bride- 
groom. He is led in and seated on a handsome 
carpet, which has been placed for him in the mid- 
dle of the court. Here he remains sitting for 
about half an hour. He then stands with a small 
])an of flaming coals nearly in front him. Near 
his side is the barber blowing a trumpet at inter- 
vals. This continues about five minutes ; then five 
women appear, all closely veiled, each having on 
her head a sort of tray made of wicker-work. The 
first one is the bride's mother ; in the tray on her 
head she carries red-hot or blazing coals, something 
being placed between the tray and the coals to pre- 
vent them burning through. She also carries in 
her hand a chattee of water. The women have 
various kinds of fruit in their trays. They 



56 TRYE'S YEAR. 

pass around the bridegroom several times, the 
mother spilling the water so as to form a circle 
around him. At the seventh time, when she is be- 
hind the groom, she suddenly throws the tray of 
burning coals over his head, they falling at his feet 
in front. She then turns the tray wrong side up 
and stands upon it. With her hands closed to- 
gether, she touches his forehead, lips and chin with 
oil, plantain, salt, etc. She moves away, and the 
little bride appears for the first time. 

She is seated on a board, on which a variety of 
figures are chalked, and is carried by the barber 
and his assistants six times around the groom, 
within the circle marked by the water. She is 
then placed at his feet, still sitting on the board. 
He has not moved a muscle. She is now lifted to 
a level with the groom's face. A large sheet is 
brous^ht and held over the heads of all, the bride's 
mother and one of the aunts standing under it. 
They hold lights close up to the pair, who are sup- 
posed now to look at each other for the first time. 
They remain in this position five minutes ; during 
this time the barber varies the performance of 
blowing the horn by occasionally uttering a wild 
shriek. This is imprecating curses on whoever 
should say anything evil of the young couple. 



A HINDOO WEDDING. 57 

The sheet is now removed, and the 2;room s'ocs 
through the passage again into the gods' house. 
The bride is carried after him. Here they are 
seated opposite each other on a circle elaborately 
chalked on the floor. Between them is a choice 
vase filled with flowers, on which the back of the 
groom's hand is placed, while the back of the 
bride's hand is placed in his. Wreaths of flowers 
are then bound around their hands and ten rupees 
placed on the top. These are for the priests. The 
gooroo of each family now lays down the law most 
emphatically to the opposite father-in-law. Not 
one word is said to either of the parties themselves. 
Then the bride's father and one of the priests seat 
themselves in front of the couple. 

By the father is a large silver dish filled with 
Ganges water ; in this a beautiful ruby ring and a 
thin iron bracelet are placed. The ring is given to 
the groom and the bracelet to the bride ; then some 
of the water is sprinkled upon them and some of 
the flowers thrown at them. The bride is carried 
first to the groom's right side, then to his left. 
Here a corner of their sarees are tied together; 
this pronounces them husband and wife. Chat 
thinks it takes a long time to have the knot tied. - 

The groom then stands up, his wife placed stand- 



58 TRYE'S YEAR. 

ing in front of him and his arms put around her. 
A plate is placed in her hand with some rice and 
plantains, and a wisp of straw lighted and placed 
blazing at her feet. This is to express a wish that 
the husband will be able to afford at least a wisp 
of straw to blacken his wife's face when she dies, 
if he cannot get fuel enough to burn her body. 

She is seated again at his side, some red powder 
put upon her hair at the front parting and the 
chuddah drawn over her head. Until she is mar- 
ried a girl doesn't wear the chuddah over her 
head ; that and the red powder, which is put on 
fresh every day, are a sign that she is married. 
A widow never wears the powder. So much for 
the Hindoo way of getting married ; and I must 
close, for it is about mail-time. 





VII. 

THE HINDOO WIDOW. 

^11 HAVE not finished my account of the 
)jil Hindoos yet, so this letter also shall be 
devoted to them. I am only telling you 
a little about them; there is ever so much 
more that would take more time and space and 
knowledge than your poor sister can command. 

Each family does not occupy its own house, as 
with us. At the head of a household is the oldest 
man, whose word is law to all the younger ones. 
His wife is at the head of the women, and is called 
the tuckoo ma. Their sons and grandsons all 
bring their wives there to live. When the head of 
the house dies, his oldest son takes his place, and 
when the tuckoo ma dies, the wife of the oldest son 
rules in the zenana, or women's apartments. Each 
daughter-in-law has her rank as wife of the oldest 
son, the second, etc., then of the grandsons in order, 
and each has to obey those above her. Sometimes 
they live very peacefully, but often the tuckoo ma 
is tyrannical and makes the others very unhappy. 

59 



60 TBYE'S YEAR. 

Their principal occupation is to comb out and braid 
their beautiful hair^ put on and off their ornaments 
and cook their husband's food. The husband and 
wife never eat together ; she prepares his food and 
waits upon him while he eats, afterward has her 
own meal of what is left. If the wife dies, the 
husband may marry again, but a widow has not 
that privilege. They believe widowhood to be a 
peculiar curse sent by the gods for some sin com- 
mitted in this or a former life, and the poor widow, 
often only a child, suffers every indignity from 
those who should love her best and cherish her 
most tenderly. 

I said, when I heard this, "How cruel they 
must be !" But my friend said that they are only 
cruel as their religion teaches them to be. They 
believe the widow to be one cursed of their god, 
and that he will punish them for trying to inter- 
fere with the curse. They are naturally gentle and 
affectionate, only cruel because they believe it to be 
their duty. Isn't it terrible to believe such things? 
The more I see of them, the more I long to do 
something to lead them to our precious Saviour. 
It must be such a comfort to tell these despised 
ones of the many tender passages in the Bible for 
the widow and the fatherless, and what sympathy 



THE HINDOO WIDOW. 61 

Christians feel for such. How niucli they need 
these ! for their future is all dark and hopeless. 

Among the higher classes the widow has her 
hair shaved off at once; this, of course, detracts 
much from her beauty. Her ornaments of gold 
and silver are all laid aside, and the red powder 
rubbed off from her forehead. Her fine apparel is 
changed for a coarse cloth, which she must wear 
until her death. 

I will read you what a learned Hindoo says : 
" From the day of the death of her husband com- 
mences the widow's sufferings and privations. She 
is made to employ herself in the performance of 
devotional austerities which know no end. Con- 
stant fasting and bathing, abstaining from the uses 
of certain articles of food and going around the 
tulasi (a shrub venerated by the Hindoos), or some 
idol in a temple, are the mortifications she is to in- 
flict upon herself. Her appearance on all joyous 
occasions is considered a bad omen. Even at the 
marriage ceremony of her brothers and sisters she 
cannot, consistently with the superstitious prevail- 
ing among the Hindoos, take an honorable place, or 
join other females who, because their husbands are 
living, can enjoy all the reasonable freedom and 
pleasures of life. The Hindoos invariably consider 



62 TEYE'S YEAB. 

it an auspicious omen to come across the wife of a 
living husband, when they leave home, for the ac- 
complishment of their intended purpose, but if they 
happen to come across a widow, they despair of suc- 
cess in the design, and proceed with reluctance or re- 
turn to curse the widow. She cannot talk familiarly 
with her dearest and nearest relatives. Her every 
word and every movement is subject to uncharitable 
construction. Among the Brahmins her diet is 
rigidly regulated. She is welcome to a meal only 
once a day, and she must content herself with some 
unwholesome eatables in the evening merely to 
prevent the cravings of hunger. 

" To be brief, the widow lives a life of toil and 
mortification. From morn to eve she has some- 
thing or other to do. Domestic drudgery is her 
inseparable doom. If she is able to read, she may 
spend a leisure, which is short and hard earned, in 
the perusal of a potJiee containing tales in honor 
of some of the Hindoo gods or imaginary deities.'' 

"That shows you something of the misery of the 
widow's life," my friend said, "but not all. If you 
could see with what scorn in some cases the older 
women in the family treat her, as I have done; if you 
could see her, when she is sick, lying on the bare floor, 
with no one to give her even a cup of cold water, no 



THE HINDOO WIDOW. 63 

one to prepare her nourishing food or needed med- 
icine, and without one kind word or look to cheer 
her, — it would make your heart bleed for her. Miss 
Brittan, who has spent years in teaching in the 
zenanas of Calcutta, said that when she first came 
to this country she could not believe what was told 
her — that a widow would prefer to be burned with 
the body of her husband to surviving him — but 
after seeing their many sufferings and their dreary, 
hopeless life, she fully believed it." 

" Are the widows ever burned with their hus- 
bands now ?" 1 asked. 

" Not publicly : the authorities will not allow it; 
but it is sometimes done without their knowledge. 
No objection is made to their burning their dead, 
and large enclosures are prepared for the purpose 
in some places. They often spend a large amount 
of money in this ceremony. Will you go with me 
to one of the zenanas to-morrow ?" 

" Oh, thank you ; I would be delighted to go. 
But will they allow me to enter their houses ?'' 

" Some of them will, for they have learned to 
know me, and to believe that there is something in 
the gospel I bring them.'' 

" But how did the missionaries first get into their 
families ?" 



64 TBYE'S YEAR. 

'"'• Tlie first wedge was fancy-work. Several years 
since, a young man who attended the school of an 
English missionary in Calcutta saw the lady work- 
ing a pair of slippers for her husband. He thought 
them so beautiful that he urged his mother to let the 
lady come into their family home and teach her this 
fine art. After a great deal of persuasion the lady 
was allowed to enter, and while teaching the fancy- 
work taught also the precious truths of the Bible. 
After that others became willing to admit the for- 
eigners for the sake of learning to work in worsted 
and embroidery. Their life is so very monotonous 
that they are glad to have something of the kind 
to vary it. This is a great work that has been 
opened for women. A man cannot gain access to 
these imprisoned women. Even a physician has to 
give directions and write prescriptions without see- 
ing his patient. The ladies among our missionaries 
have been laboring in these zenanas as they have 
been opened to them. 

" We visit now in thirty of these families in Al- 
lahabad, and could go in many more if w^e had the 
time or more ladies here to do it. Besides what we 
do, there are other missionaries here engaged in the 
same way. 

" This is a great work of itself, and yet it is only 



THE HINDOO WIDOW. 65 

one of our many duties. These zenana women 
form, happily, only a small part of the women of 
India. You see other women in the streets with 
their chuddahs over their heads, free to go almost 
anywhere. They, however, cannot be approached 
by our missionary gentlemen as they could be at 
home. Sometimes when the padre (minister) has 
collected a little crowd around him, they draw near 
enough to hear him, but he cannot address them 
directly, so that here, too, is work for woman. I 
wish we could have a whole army of missionaries, 
men and women, in India ; we are so few among 
the millions of idolaters, and yet God has greatly 
blessed our poor efforts." 




yiii. 




f' IN THE ZENANAS. 

EAR BROTHER GYLE : You may be- 
lieve that I was ready to go with Miss 

at the time appointed, and was greatly in- 
terested in what I saw. The first house we 
entered is one of the finest in the city. It is of 
brick, plastered inside and out like the Europeans' 
bungalows. It is painted white, with a cornice of 
fine checker-work of bright colors. In the second 
and third stories are windows of stained glass. 
You enter through the lower door into a narrow 
passage which leads under the house into a square 
open court. Two broad verandahs, an upper and 
a lower one, are on three sides of it. A number of 
rooms open on these verandahs ; the lower ones are. 
used for store-houses, carriage-houses, servants, etc. 
The upper rooms are used by the babus. The room 
in which they entertain their friends contains 
handsome European furniture, but it is not ar- 
ranged with any taste. Besides, the cobwebs hang 
in festoons all around. 

66 



IN THE ZENANAS. 67 

I learned afterward that many Hindoos will not 
destroy life, and think it wrong even to clear the 
spiders out. None of the females ever enter this 
part of the house, unless when very young. You 
pass from this court back to a second one, w^hich, 
in most houses, is the women's court, but this, being 
an unusually fine dwelling, has three courts ; the 
one farthest back is the one upon which the 
women's apartments open. Here their lives are 
spent. What a little world they have ! The lower 
part is used for the cows, cook-rooms, etc. The 
upper rooms are for the women and children of 
the family. These rooms have no doors or win- 
dows on the outside, so that the women never see 
anything going on in the street. 

From this court we go through a passage under 
the house into their garden — a small piece of ground 
with a high wall around it. It contains a tank, or 
pond, with a few plantain and cocoanut trees 
around it. The women bathe in this tank every 
day, according to a command of their religion. 
We went to one of the rooms and sat near the 
door. I was surprised to see such a contrast 
between these rooms and those for the men. The 
floors are the same as the walls, and on these they 
sit, without carpet or mats or stool or chair. 



68 TRYE'S YEAR. 

There is a bedstead with a mat covering it for a 
bed, two or three hard pillows, a box or chest 
with a padlock, in which they keep their valuables, 
and a clothes-horse. Besides these is a brass lota, 
or drinking-vessel, that completes the list. They 
spend a good deal of time on the verandahs telling 
wonderful stories to each other. When the hus- 
band of one comes to his wife's room, he coughs, 
or makes some noise, to announce his coming ; then 
all the women go out of sight. A woman may see 
the younger brothers of her husband, but not the 
older ones. 

My friend was made very welcome by the five 
or six women whom we saw at first. They were 
ready for the lesson, and seemed eager to learn. 
Three of them can read very well and have Bibles, 
which they seem to prize ; one of these is a widow 
of about sixteen. Oh how sad she looked, and so 
old, as if her troubles had nearly crushed her! 
The tuckoo ma has given her consent to the teach- 
ing, and comes near enough to hear what is taught, 
but the woman next in authority is very much 
opposed to it. She treats the poor little widow 
very badly. The girl has friends, though, for as 
many as three of her sisters-in-law say that they 
will do what the Bible tells them, and never wor- 



IN THE ZENANAS. 69 

ship an idol again. They treat her with great ten- 
derness, and often help her in her work. She 
seemed perfectly happy when she saw the face of 
Miss . 

After the lesson was over they got out their sew- 
ing and the teacher told them the story of David. 
One pretty little girl of ten, who had been married 
a year, sat down close to me and listened with great 
attention. Her dress was magenta book muslin, 
six gold bracelets were on each arm and a heavy 
chain of gold about her neck. Her mother was 
beautiful, and had much more beautiful jewels than 
those of her daughter. Before we left she took 
them out to show me. It seemed like a small 
jewelry store, and yet she regetted that her hus- 
band had locked up her best ones in his room. 
Her teacher told her about the Pearl of great price, 
and she thought it must indeed be valuable if worth 
more than all her ornaments. These poor w^omen ! 
I don't wonder they think so much of such things, 
for they have little else to interest them. 

The second zenana we visited was quite unlike 
the first. It was in a narrow lane and up dark 
winding staircases and passages. The air was close, 
and I felt like making as short a stay as possible, 
but here were women and girls waiting for the 



70 TBYE'S YEAR. 

teacher. One woman, seeing that we were warm, 
threw a fan down before us ; she would not let us 
touch her in any way. Another came from her 
room soon after our entrance to beg the lady to 
come and see her poor child, who was sick. This 
woman had only lately consented to hear the in- 
struction given in the house. 

" Do help my boy !'' she said. " Pray for him ; 
your God will hear you.'' 

She knelt and prayed in Hindoostanee, the woman 
watching her child meantime to see if he were im- 
proving. The teacher saw that the child had a 
fever, and left some medicine for him. 

^^ Make him well !'' said the woman. " I had 
another boy once, but he died. I suppose I had 
taken another woman's baby, and so he was 
snatched from me." 

" No, that cannot be ; God took him because it 
was best. He was never anybody but himself, 
and when he died he was still only himself." 

" Can that be ? Then why was it best for him 
to go?" 

" I don't know, but God does everything for the 
best. I pray that he will make this dear little boy 
well, but if he does not, it will be because he knows 
best." 



7i\^ THE ZENANAS. 71 

" Your God is a good God, but he don't want to 
help us." 

"Yes, he does; he wants to help you, and he 
wants you to love him. He loved you so much 
that he sent his Son to die for you, as I have told 
you, and he loves you still just as much." 

Then the teacher took out her little Testament 
and read some of its sweet promises. After the 
regular lesson was over we went to the sick room, 
and found the little sufferer sleeping naturally and 
sweetly. The mother thought there was some su- 
pernatural charm in the medicine, and expressed 
her gratitude again and again. 

As we came home, my friend said that if the 
child recovered, as she thought he would, the whole 
family w^ould believe whatever she might teach 
them. No man being allowed in the zenana, many 
a woman and child suffers and dies for want of 
proper treatment. These missionary ladies, who 
have only an ordinary knowledge of medicine, do 
very much good in this way. Some of the ladies 
who come out here have studied that branch at 
home ; they gain the confidence and love of these 
people very soon, and sometimes save life. 

In the evening I told mother about our zenana 
visits. She is more interested in the missionaries 



72 TBYE'S YEAE. 

and their work than in anything else in India. 
She says that a very great work is going on here, 
and believes that God will raise up othei-s to help 
the few who are here, and yet it makes her sad to 
see so many thousands dying every day without a 
Saviour. These dear missionaries are working so 
faithfully and live so close to the Master I am sure 
that God will give them crowns of the very 
brightest jewels in his kingdom. 

The schools in this city are large and very inter- 
esting to me. One of them is for training the girls 
of native Christian families, so that they may teach 
their own people. The Christian women among 
them who are already teachers and Bible readers 
lead many of their people to give up their idols and 
follow Jesus. Father and mother think that this 
is the way for India to become Christian. Their 
own people can do more than we when they have 
learned the way of life from the missionaries. 
Now I can see one reason why they are so hopeful. 
Every one who is converted by their means will 
tell others, and perhaps lead many others to believe 
as he does. Besides this, as mother says, " If God 
be for us, who can be against us ?" 




IX. 

SIGHTSEEING. 

'ear brother : This morning we were 
out sight-seeing — the whole family. We 
first rode about the city, through some of the 
streets we had not before visited, and find 
Allahabad to be a pretty large place. The popula- 
tion is somewhere in the region of forty thousand. 
The city is supposed to occupy the site of the old 
Palimbrotha. The modern houses, which are of 
mean and poor materials, are raised on foundations 
which show that large and handsome buildings 
must once have stood where they do. The Em- 
peror Akbar, the great chief among the Mohamme- 
dans, lived here and built the fort, so as to com- 
mand both rivers. The situation of the city is very 
much like that of Philadelphia, between two rivers 
which unite below it. Here we have the Ganges 
and Jumna instead of the Delaware and Schuylkill. 
You know that the Ganges is considered a very 

sacred stream by the Hindoos, and this place v>rhere 

73 



74 TRYE'S YEAR. 

the two rivers meet is exceedingly holy. This 
makes Allahabad one of their sacred cities. Be- 
nares is the Indian " holy of holies/^ but this city 
stands very high on the list. 

Immersion is a sacred rite of the Hindoos, and 
you find tanks in most of their temples filled, if 
possible, with water from the Ganges. Those who 
bathe here have the benefit of three immersions 
elsewhere. Many pilgrims drown themselves here, 
thinking that they will be for ever happy in doing 
so. If any one dies in sight of the Ganges, how- 
ever bad he may be or whatever his belief, the 
Hindoos think he will be saved. If even a grass- 
hopper is drowned in its waters, it goes direct to 
heaven. I was surprised to think anybody would 
believe these things when father told me what I 
have been writing. 

We rode outside of the city across what is called 
the Maidan — an open, level plain — to the fort. 
This is a huge structure of red sandstone, and 
looks very warlike as we approach it. I almost 
expected to hear the roar of cannon as we drew 
near, but all was peace. We passed through its 
magnificent gateway amid the pacing sentinels and 
the scores of other redcoats standing or walking or 
lounging within. We entered the great hall of 



SIGHTSEEING. 75 

audience where the mighty Akbar was wont to re- 
ceive his subjects. We did not linger long in this 
place — in fact, it was only a glimpse that we caught 
of the whole fort. One very curious place is an 
underground temple which is very old : no one 
seems to know when it was built. Then there is a 
pillar, or lat, they call it, of asokas ; it was placed 
there three centuries before Christ, and has on it 
certain laws in characters of the old Pali language. 
Leaving the fort, we go still farther from the city 
upon the triangle, which is bounded on two sides 
by the converging rivers and on the third by the 
fort. Chat wondered why the fort wasn't placed 
on the point of land where the rivers meet, but 
father says it can command both rivers where it is. 
The triangle I spoke of is the place where the 
melas are held. They are yearly gatherings of 
Hindoos for worship. One of the missionaries 
says, "It is a picnic, a fair and a great religious 
festival all combined." Besides the ordinary 
melas, there are twelve which belong to all Hin- 
doostan. These are held at different places, from 
Hardwar, where the Ganges escapes from the 
mountains to the plains, to Sagor, where it meets 
the Bay of Bengal. The Brahmins have arranged 
that each of the twelve shall be in turn the prin- 



76 TEYE'S YEAR. 

cipal mela of the year, and pilgrims come to it from 
all parts of the country. 

Last year^ this " twelfth-year mela " was held 
here, and it is said that two millions of people at- 
tended it. This plain was then a little city — not so 
little, either, with so many inhabitants. They had 
canvas-covered shops for jewelers, booksellers, cloth 
merchants, braziers, shoemakers, grainsellers, con- 
fectioners, etc. Here could be seen, too, the white 
mission-tents, where faithful ministers, both native 
and foreign, gathered the passers-by to hear the 
word of God. They take such times as these to 
preach to the natives, many of whom hear of a 
Saviour for the first time. At the point of the 
triangle there is a large open space left for the 
bathers. Here the crowd is very dense. One par- 
ticular set of persons, called the pragwals, have 
had charge of the bathing here for centuries, and 
become very rich, for each bather has to pay them 
a tax. Every native follows his father's business, 
whatever it may have been, so I suppose the people 
do not think of such a thing as making a change 
in this respect. 

The fakirs must be a sight to behold. They are 
men who do a great deal of what the Roman 
Catholics would call penance, and think they be- 



SIGHT-SEEING. 77 

come very holy. The magistrate ordered that no 
one should go unclothed to the bathing-place, but 
many of these miserable beings paid no attention 
to the order. We are told that one man came 
hundreds of miles by measuring his length on the 
ground. " Standing up, he threw himself prostrate 
in the direction of the mela, and described a semi- 
circle on the ground with his hands, as if swim- 
ming, pressing his forehead in the dust. His little 
store of food and furniture is in a small box on 
wheels. Kising, he draws this box forward by a 
string, then steps to the mark, his hands in the 
dust, and prostrates himself as before. The faith- 
ful press forward, with the greatest reverence, to 
touch the ground over which he has passed, to be 
touched by his shadow, to present their offerings 
of money, which he quietly accepts and puts in his 
little box." 

This is the way one fakir came to the mela. 
One of the missionaries saw him and gave father 
this description. I had the whole scene pictured 
to my mind, when our attention was attracted to a 
spot across the Ganges. There were four men 
carrying a bed upon which was a sick woman. 
Two Brahmin priests wdth them kept muttering 
something as they walked, a prayer, I suppose, to 



78 TRYE'S YEAR. 

Gunga — that is, the Ganges, for that is really their 
god. We watched them as they placed the dying 
woman near the river where her last glance should 
rest upon its waters. Poor woman ! she believed 
that by doing this she would soon be in heaven. 
Oh, I thought, what a sad, sad awakening it would 
be for her when her spirit fled to God who gave it ! 

The priests walked around the sick woman sev- 
eral times, now stopping to look upon the sacred 
river, and uttering some words, again turning to 
the sick one. It was a terrible scene, and I would 
not like to have been nearer. They must have de- 
layed this last office longer than they thought, for 
the woman died while we were looking. Then 
began the lamentation of the living. They pressed 
around the body, apparently closing the eyes and 
preparing it, not for its burial, as we would do, but 
for the flames. The burning-ghats are yards upon 
the bank of the river with high walls on the three 
other sides. The corpse was taken to the ghat, 
which was not far off. We could see the priests 
still busy with their ceremonies, and a number of 
others going about preparing for the last sad rites. 

On our way home we saw the smoke rising from 
the spot, and knew that but a handful of ashes 
would soon be all of what so short a time before 



SIGHT-SEEING. 79 

contained a living soul. How horrible it seemed 
so to die and so to return to dust ! With a cer- 
tainty of heaven, one would be willing to be taken 
from home to die by the river-side, for Jesus would 
be there to put his arms around us and bear us 
through the dark valley, but so to die, "without 
hope and without God in the world !" I cannot 
bear to think of it. Sincerely do I pray, "Let 
me die the death of the righteous, and let my 
last end be like his V^ 





X. 

THE MUTINY. 

E are now in Futtehgurh. We had intended 
to go from Allahabad direct to Agra, but 
father decided to visit this point in order to 
see the spot where our martyrs of the mu- 
tiny lived and labored ; hence our letters from this 
place. We were all anxious to sail up the Ganges, 
and were gratified. The boat was a real native one, 
but a very comfortable afiair. It had a cabin ris- 
ing above the sides of the boat. Upon this were 
sails, although the wind was not the only power 
to which we trusted. Long oars projected from 
each side, by which the dark men could bear 
us along in spite of adverse winds. Many were 
the deluded persons we saw making their obeisance 
to Gunga and plunging into the sacred stream in 
the belief that their sins were thus washed away. 
We watched the people and the little mud villages 
as they came in sight ; we were interested in the 
larger places. We gazed after the birds and noted 

80 



4t THE MUTINY. 81 

every new kind of tree, but the scenery is mo- 
notonous, and we had plenty of time to watch it 
and think, too, of other things, so we got father 
to tell us about the mutiny. I will give it to you, 
as nearly as I can recollect, in his words : 

The native army of India was organized while 
Lord Clive was governor-general of this country 
in 1757. The superior of&cers w^ere always Euro- 
peans, wath native officers under them. The army 
of the Bengal Presidency, the one engaged in the 
mutiny, was composed chiefly of Brahmins and 
Mohammedans. Now, these two classes of people 
have each a feeling of hatred toward the other, but 
they both hated the English, and united to crush 
this controlling power. The Brahmins had been 
treated as superior beings, receiving respect and 
even reverence from all the Hindoos, as I told 
you before, but since the English ruled the land, 
the law considered a Soodra as good as a Brahmin, 
and his rights were to be respected as well. 

The Mohammedans had but a short time before 
been compelled to give up the rule of Oude, their 
last province in India, to the British. They were 
ready for anything which tended in the slightest 
degree to re-establish their sway in the country, 
and are the ones who started the great Sepoy rebel- 

6 



82 TEYE'S YEAR, 

% 

lion. They reminded the Brahmins of the disre- 
gard of the Europeans to their rights, and that caste 
was giving way. Both were ready for the slightest 
pretext to begin hostilities. What do you think 
they made a reason for attacking the Europeans ? 
Only a little tallow ! and it must be confessed that 
wars sometimes arise in Christian countries from 
reasons as trivial as this. The cartridges sent to 
be used were said to be greased with either tallow 
or lard." 

" Oh, I begin to see/' said Chat ; " the cow is a 
sacred animal : it wouldn't do for the Brahmins to 
use tallow; but how about the lard? Are hogs 
sacred too ?" 

"No," father continued, "they are not sacred, 
but the very opposite. They are held in abomina- 
tion by every Musselman." 

"But," said I, "they did not have to eat this 
tallow or lard ; I don't see how they could object 
to having the cartridges greased with it." 

" You don't know much about war, Trye," said 
Chat ; " the soldiers always have to bite the end 
off the cartridge before they put it into the gun. I 
suppose that was the trouble, wasn't it, father ?" 

" Yes, my son ; there was where the difficulty lay,. 
The Brahmins couldn't put the tallow to such use 




Sepoys. 



p. 82. 



THE MUTINY. 83 

because it was too holy, and tlie Mohammedans 
couldn't use the lard because it was too vile. The 
mutiny broke out at Barrackpoor, above Calcutta. 
The Sepoys burned several buildings and held se- 
cret meetings. The contagion spread, and soon 
many places were the scenes of fire and bloodshed. 
At Lucknow an English doctor happened to taste 
some medicine before giving it to a sick Brahmin ; 
this was construed as an attempt to break their 
caste. The w^hole regiment rose and burned the 
doctor's bungalow. 

" The first victims of the mutiny fell at Meeroot, 
on the 10th of May, 1857. 'The next day forty 
women and forty-four children perished in the most 
horrible manner at Delhi. At Agra thirty-three 
more were coolly murdered ; at Caw^npore between 
three and four hundred.' Let me read you what 
Kev. Joseph Mullens, then of Calcutta, wrote : ^ From 
that time forward began a series of atrocities un- 
paralleled in the history of our colonial settlements. 
From that time, in numerous localities in Upper 
India, men, women, children, of our own nation, 
were exposed to trials, difficulties and dangers of 
the most awful kind, and were involved in one 
common ruin. They were hunted down, tied to- 
gether, fastened to trees and stakes, and, though 



84 TBYE'S YEAR. 

unarmed and defenceless^ were brutally slain. For 
several months, over hundreds of square miles, 
their houses were heaps of ruins. The highways 
were destroyed, all traffic ceased, riot and plunder 
and murder stalked wildly through the land, and 
the bodies of about fifteen hundred of our own 
countrymen and countrywomen lay unburied upon 
the wastes, a prey to jackals and vultures and the 
foul birds of night.' " 

'' Oh how horrible !'' said mother ; " to think of 
that happening in this beautiful and peaceful-look- 
ing land ! May God protect his people here from 
another such calamity !'' 

^' But had they no leader, father V asked Chat. 

" They can hardly be said to have had one leader. 
In this region a prominent leader was the Nana 
Sahib. He was the adopted son of the peishwa of 
Poonah, who, though very unworthy of it, was 
granted a pension of eighty thousand pounds a 
year, with the fine property of Bithoor, near Cawn- 
pore. Nana became heir to all the peishwa's prop- 
erty, and was allowed a guard of five hundred cav- 
alry. He was, however, refused the extravagant 
pension which had been given to the peishwa. This 
infuriated him, and during this reign of terror he 
seems to have acted more like a demon than a man." 



THE MUTINY. 85 

As we came in sight of Cawnpore we were 
shown the ghat (or landing) of the massacre. About 
a mile back from the river is the place where, in the 
hot days of June, 1857, seven hundred and fifty 
Europeans, men, women and children, were gath- 
ered to defend themselves from the four native reg- 
iments who were constantly firing upon them. It 
is now a garden of roses, but then a flat, dusty 
space surrounded by a parapet of earth about five 
feet high. Father said that twenty days they held 
their position. One after another fell under the 
constant fire. Hospital stores were destroyed, 
houses set on fire and many persons burned to 
death. Not a drop of water was to be obtained, 
except from one well in the open plain, upon which 
the fire of twenty marksmen was brought to bear. 

The English dead were thrown into another well, 
because to bury them was impossible. One hundred 
at least were killed, and all the artillerymen among 
them ! Then the Nana offered terms of surrender, 
and promised them safe-conduct down the Ganges 
to Allahabad. Sick and wounded, pale and care- 
worn, they marched to the landing and embarked. 
Twenty huge boats, each some twenty feet long 
and twelve feet broad, with thatched poops, were 
awaiting them, and the little party hoped soon to 



86 TBYE'S YEAR. 

reach a place of safety. But ah ! the treachery of 
Nana and his counselors ! When fairly out in the 
stream, yet in water so shallow that they ran 
aground, the boats were fired and the boatmen fled 
for the shore. Immediately the poor refugees were 
fired upon by the Sepoys from every direction. 
Only two or three men of that company escaped ! 

More than a hundred women and children were 
marched back to Cawnpore. After being impris- 
oned for two weeks they were all butchered by the 
orders of Nana Sahib, and their bodies thrown into 
a well. Soon after this time our missionaries 
from Futtehgurh reached Cawnpore. 

But we had arrived at the landing of the latter 
place by this time, and stopped for a few hours to 
see the spot where so many noble ones had suffered 
and died. We found natives ready to guide us to 
the spot, or take us there in almost any way we 
chose to go, for a small sum of money. We found 
the well into which the victims were cast covered 
with a beautiful white marble monument, a white 
angel of peace standing over it. A large space 
around it is enclosed by a high wall of Gothic de- 
sign. Around this is a beautiful park, or garden. 
It seemed almost impossible to believe this the 
same place as that of the horrible massacre, but we 




Well at Cawnpore. 



p. 86. 



THE MUTINY. 87 

knew it was, and I felt almost as if the Sepoys 
might be lurking about, ready to pounce upon us 
at any moment, I asked father if there were any 
danger from them now, 

*^ You are not afraid, Trye, are you ?" he said, 
smilingo 

*'No, sir, but I was wondering if these men 
would not try the same thing again some time." 

*^ I think not, my dear ; they have learned that 
the English have power to crush any such rebellion, 
and I hope, besides, that they have more confidence 
in their pale rulers now than then. The men who 
were the leaders in this terrible tragedy have gone 
to their account. Those who led the soldiers in 
doing the deed were discovered and hanged. Tan- 
tia Topee, an intimate friend of Nana Sahib and a 
very bad man, was chased for months, and at last 
caught and hanged. The Nana and his immediate 
followers have doubtless died before now. Years 
ago they were wandering in terror among the 
jungles and forest of Nepaul ; that is the last they 
have been heard from by the authorities. Truly, 
* the way of the transgressor is hard.' " 

But the short twilight has come, and soon the 
darkness will settle down upon us, so I will leave 
the remainder of my story ^' to be continued*'' 




XL 

THE MISSIONARY MARTYRS, 

E were so much interested in the account of 
the mutiny that when we were again on the 
boat we asked father to tell us about the 
missionary martyrs. He said : ^^ There was 
only one native regiment at Futtehgurh- — no Euro- 
pean soldiers at all. These had fought bravely in 
Burmah and in other places, and were considered 
very reliable. The people had greater fear of those 
from other places, and were constantly on their 
guard. This regiment, however, after pledging 
themselves by a most solemn oath to remain true 
to the British, joined the mutineers. On the third 
of June the missionaries heard that the troops at 
Bareilly and Shahjehanpore, only forty miles dis- 
tant, had mutinied, and that a body of the Oude 
mutineers, consisting of an infantry and cavahy 
coisps, were marching into the station. At Shahje- 
hanpore they had murdered the minister. Rev. J. 
McCallum, and his congregation while they were 

88 




Memorial Monument ovek the Cawnpore Well. 



THE MISSIONARY MARTYRS. 89 

at worship on the Sabbath. Only one escaped to 
tell the tale. 

"A knowledge of these things spread consterna- 
tion through the place. On the night of the third 
a consultation was held^ and it was thought neces- 
sary to go to Cawnpore as soon as possible. The 
boats were secured, and they started early in the 
morning. Our missionaries had spent the night at 
the house of Mr, McLean, who lived near the mis- 
sion premises and close to the river. They did 
what they could to encourage and strengthen the 
native Christians. Mr. Campbell walked several 
hours of the night in the garden with the native 
brethren. He told them that he felt less concern 
for himself than for them. None of the Hindoo 
or Mohammedan servants would accompany them, 
on account of leaving their families in danger, so 
three native Christians went with them. 

"And now the company of Englishmen and 
Americans, with their families, start, the mission- 
band consisting of Rev. Messrs. John E. Freepian, 
David E. Campbell, Albert O. Johnson, Robert 
McMullin and their wives, with little Fannie and 
Willie Campbell, the whole party numbering about 
one hundred and thirty. They pass on in peace for 
eight miles, when at Rawalganj they see the vil- 



90 TETE'S YEAR 

lagers preparing to attack them. They are not 
armed, however, and the boats look formidable, so 
no harm is done. At Singarampore a number of 
Sepoys and desperate characters have assembled, 
who open a heavy fire on the little fleet. The fire 
is returned, and the boats move on. 

"After passing this place it is determined to have 
all the mission party occupy one boat and use the 
other three for the luggage; this luggage is scanty, 
and soon plundered. They approach very near to 
Kasampore, a Mohammedan village, for the channel 
is on that side. They are fired upon, and one in 
one of the boats is severely wounded. They re- 
turn the fire, and succeed in passing the village, 
though they are followed for nearly an hour and 
fired upon whenever the boats are near enough the 
bank. On the evening of the third day they go 
ashore to cook some food, and are closely watched. 
One of the zamindars, or landholders, musters his 
men and surrounds the party. They have to pay 
him five hundred dollars to be released ; he is then 
willing to offer them all assistance in his power. 
They accept his offer of five men for a guard, but 
of the five only one remains on the boat. 

" They start again, and on the evening of the 
fifth day the boat strikes an island five miles below 



THE MISSIONARY MARTYRS. 91 

Bithoor, the residence of the Nana Sahib, and 
the same distance from Cawnpore. They made 
every effort to send a note to General Sir Hugh 
Wheeler in Cawnpore, entirely unconscious of the 
fact that Nana Sahib had entered the ranks of the 
mutineers. But Sir Hugh was besieged in his own 
entrenchments by the Nana and his party, and, of 
course, the efforts of the missionaries were without 
success. On the twelfth of June, their fourth day 
on the island, ^ they saw some Sepoys crossing the 
bridge of boats connecting Oude with Cawnpore, 
but supposing they were on their way to Luck- 
now, it did not excite their fears, or even cause a 
suspicion that evil threatened their party.^ 

" They soon became aware of danger by receiv- 
ing a heavy fire, which killed a child and a lady, 
with her native nurse. The party then left the 
boats and took shelter in the long grass. They 
wandered from place to place until they came to 
some trees and native huts near which was a well. 
They were refused water, but one of the native 
Christians with them brought some from the river. 

" Weary and hopeless as to escape from death, to 
whom could they look but to their heavenly 
Father? Kev. Mr. Freeman read a portion of 
Scripture — words, doubtless, of promise and com- 



92 TBYE'S YEAH. 

fort. Tliey sang a hymn. Yes, a Christian may 
sing, even at the gate of death ! Then they all 
knelt, and Mr. Freeman poured out his soul in 
supplication to God. They find it good to draw 
near to God, and he draws near to them. Another 
hymn is sung, and Mr. Campbell speaks of the 
riches of grace in Christ Jesus, the Lamb of God 
who taketh away the sins of the world. The 
meeting closes with prayer, the last public one 
offered by any of the one hundred and twenty-six 
souls there assembled. 

"They decide to throw their weapons into the 
river. Soon a boat-load of Sepoys arrives, and 
they are made prisoners. They are taken to Cawn- 
pore, where they tell the Sepoys of their peaceful 
occupations, and protest against being molested. 
Some wish to let them go, but others say, ^No. 
Take them to Nana Sahib, and let the unclean 
foreigners be rooted out !' These were the strong- 
er, and prevailed. The prisoners were bound with 
a small cord two by two — husband and wife, 
brother and sister. Mr. Campbell, thus tied to his 
wife, carried in his arms his little boy, Willie, and 
a friend took his little daughter, Fannie. These 
were the only children in the missionary party. 

" The native Christians were told to make their 



THE MISSIONARY MARTYRS. 93 

escape, and messages were sent to the church-mem- 
bers at Futtehgurh. It is now almost evening, 
and they are about to start, when their old friend, 
Mr. Maclean, makes a final effort for the release 
of the party. Knowing their love of money, he 
offers the Sepoys three hundred thousand rupees, 
or about one hundred and fifty thousand dollars, 
if they would give the party their freedom, but 
there is no hesitation manifested in the reply made : 
* It is hlood we want, not money !' 

"All hope is now gone. The march is begun. 
Guarded and watched in all their movements, they 
pass on slowly. They are helpless, and insulted 
by coarse remarks and jeers. Exhausted by 
anxiety and fasting, they go on languidly. At 
last some declare their inability to go farther. A 
halt is made, and the party, surrounded by their 
Sepoy guard, are permitted to remain all night. 
Water is offered, but nothing to eat. What a 
night that must have been to those poor, tired 
sufferers ! It was a night of prayer, and God gave 
them strength for their day. 

"They set out early in the morning. They have 
not gone far on their way when they meet three 
carriages sent by the Nana for the ladies, who are 
unable to walk farther. The party continue their 



94 TBYE'S YEAR. 

journey until they reach the station, when they are 
all shut up for an hour in a house by themselves. 
What occurred in that house and during that hour 
none can testify. That it was a solemn hour all 
must feel. At seven o'clock that morning (June 
13th) 'they were released, marched to the parade- 
ground and ruthlessly shot. Peace be to their 
unburied ashes ! No cold marble monument can 
be erected over their mutilated bodies, but their 
memory will not be lost.' " 

Father had in his hand "The Martyred Mis- 
sionaries," by Rev. Mr. Walsh, of Allahabad, and 
had read us parts of the story from that, telling us 
the remainder. I have read the book myself since, 
and wish every one else could do so. They would 
see how those dear men and women labored and 
suffered for Jesus. 

I find that I have written another long letter, 
and still have not finished our journey. Have 
patience ; I will bring you to this spot in my next. 





XII. 

FUTTEHGUBII AND FUBEUKHABAD. 

'Y dear brother : On we went up the 
river, past Kasampore, past other villages, 
almost looking for the Sepoys to fire upon 
us. But nothing could have been more 
peaceful than the appearance of the country. The 
mutiny happened years ago. At Singarampore we 
take a good look. This is considered a very holy 
place; it is noted for the number of its temples 
and its fakirs. A few hundred of these disgusting 
beggars live here, and are called " sons of Gunga." 
They have a story which runs in this way : " One 
of their gods. Ram, once cursed a fakir and caused 
a horn to grow out of his head. This fakir, hap- 
pening to bathe at this place, found the water so 
efficacious that at the very moment he immersed 
his body in it his horn dropped and he was cured. 
In consequence of this the place immediately ac- 
quired a celebrity, and many temples were erected. 
A village of some two thousand people is now the 

95 



96 TBYE'S YEAR. 

result, and nearly all the pilgrims stop there to 
take away in bottles some of its holy water/' 

We pass Rawalganj, and are told at last that 
the place of our destination is in sight. Futteh- 
gurh is situated on what our countrymen would 
term a blufi'. The name is given to the military 
cantonment, which extends about two miles along 
the bank of the river. The bungalows of the 
Europeans are "scattered and surrounded with 
grounds laid out with taste and embellished with 
pretty hedges and flowers of both hemispheres." 
The public buildings are there, as in other towns, 
plain and substantial. The kuchchery, or court- 
house, occupies here its usual position — a central 
and commanding one. Here we land for a stay of 
two or three days. That was day before yesterday, 
and we have enjoyed the time since in riding out 
and conversing with our friends the missionaries. 

In one ride we went through the cantonment, 
then north to Furrukhabad. The old walls first 
attract the attention of a person from a free country. 
It was formerly a walled town, but since the British 
have ruled in India, the inhabitants have felt more 
secure than before, and have allowed the walls to 
fall, and in some places to disappear. As you 
enter the city a large Hindoo temple attracts your 



M 



> 
fed 

o 

a 

w 
>■ 




FUTTEHGURH AND FURRUKHABAD. 97 

eye. This is the most expensive and elaborate of 
all their numerous temples, and was built with the 
profits of the distillery opposite the temple, both 
of which are owned by the same person. The city 
is well laid out, and is noted for its brass and copper 
works. It is also the point from which goods from 
Calcutta are distributed to the other northern cities. 
We rode through the main street, a delightful 
drive of three miles. This street is very wide, and 
in some parts of it there are trees, very old and 
large, completely overshadowing the street and 
houses. I was surprised to see the crowd, though 
I need not have been, for the people of India seem 
to be absolutely innumerable. It was toward 
evening, when, Chat said, "everybody and his 
grandmother were out." They were dressed in 
their brightest colors, too ; I can give you no idea 
of the scene. The nearest we ever come to it in 
our cities is when the flags are all flying and every- 
body in holiday attire. We had to send a man 
ahead of the carriage several times to open the way 
for us, and then were detained many minutes before 
he could make a passage for us through the dense 
throng. There are a number of gateways on this 
street which divide the city into sections. Like the 
walls, they are now unused, but under the native 



98 TRYE'S YEAR. 

government they were of great advantage in pro- 
tecting the citizens during a night attack. 

When a native becomes a Christian, and is bap- 
tized, he is from that hour an outcast, shunned and 
despised by all his former friends. Just think 
what a Hindoo has to give up if he is known to 
be a child of God ! He can gain employment no 
longer among his own people ; they will have noth- 
ing to do with him. Near Futtehgurh there is a 
village of these native Christians, and they are 
doing very much good. Let me tell you a little 
about these people. When the missionaries first 
came here, they started an orphan asylum. As 
these children grew up and married, the mission 
built them houses on a separate piece of land, so as 
to have them still near them, and where they could 
find something to do. This grew to be a village, 
and a very neat one it is. It consists of two rows 
of mud-walled buildings divided by a wide street 
which is lined with a row of trees on each side. 
At the end, facing the main road, there is a large 
gate, and at the other end, opposite the gate, is a 
very respectable-sized village hall, which is used 
for holding public meetings, chiefly, however, for 
those of the Bible classes and panchaiyat or court 
of inquiry. 



FUTTEHGUBII AND FURRUKHABAD. 99 

At the time of the mutiny there were two hun- 
dred of these people, and they showed how sin- 
cerely they loved the Saviour by remaining true to 
their profession. We were told about a number of 
these faithful people, but I will repeat the story of 
only one. Rev. Gopee Nauth Nundy was one of 
the first members of the mission church. He and 
his wife were forced to fly from home, and wan- 
dered, not knowing whither to turn, until their feet 
were blistered and fatigue, heat and hunger had 
almost exhausted them. Accompanied by three of 
their little ones, they had to endure the agony of 
their piteous crying and suffering. At one time 
robbed of their clothes and Bible and at another 
time beaten with many stripes. They were con- 
fined to the stocks and made to sit in a burning 
sun, and during this more than once threatened 
with instant death. Life was offered, and with it 
emoluments of the highest character, on condition 
that they would deny their faith and accept in its 
stead the doctrines of Mohammed, but all without 
avail, for Jesus and eternal life were worth more 
than life and all its honors. If you would like to 
read his story, you will find it told in " The Martyrs 
of the Mutiny,'' which you may have seen. 

Rev. R. S. Fullerton, one of the missionary 



100 TRYE'S YEAR. 

band, who has since entered his glorious rest, vis- 
ited the native village at Futtehgurh after the mu- 
tiny. He found it a desolate scene. The survivors 
pressed around him with delight, and told with 
tears what thej had suffered and how the Lord had 
spared them. He found six blind orphan girls and 
one man named Lullu, besides a leper named 
Khurga. They had been driven from their homes 
at the beginning of the rainy season. But I will 
use the words of Mr. Fullerton : 

" The Hindoos turn away from those of their 
own caste who are afflicted in this manner, because 
they look upon their sufferings as the just retribu- 
tion of heaven upon them for their sins in a former 
birth. What, then, could these poor Christians 
expect from them ? They^ no doubt, expected lit- 
tle, and little they received. They were sometimes 
days and nights without shelter, and had it not 
been that He who hears the young ravens when 
they cry sheltered them and provided for them, 
they must have perished. I found them living 
under a miserable shed. All were there but one. 
Their poverty surpassed anything that I ever saw. 
All they possessed in the world would not have 
been sold for twenty-five cents in the streets of 
New York or Philadelphia. Hearing my voice, 



FUTTEHGURH AND FUBBUKHABAD. 101 

they were overjoyed. At one time they no doubt 
felt that their friends and teachers had all been 
killed, and that they would never meet any of us 
again, and hence we need not wonder at their joy. 
I found poor Lullu lying on the ground, sick of 
fever, and with nothing but a few rags to cover 
him. I asked him if he had found Christ precious 
during the long months of suifering through which 
he had passed. His reply was, ' Oh yes ! in dukh 
(pain) and in sukh (joy) he is ever the same.' 

"As I was returning I met poor blind Susan, 
who, I had heard, was in search of me. A little 
boy was leading her. I asked her who she was, 
and her reply was, ^ I am a poor blind girl ; I have 
been looking for my padre (minister), but cannot 
find him.' When she learned who I was, her lips 
trembled with emotion, while she thanked me for 
coming to see them. 

" ^ Oh, sir/ she said, ^ it is very kind of you to 
come so far to look after poor blind people like us.' " 

Have I written too much about the terrible mu- 
tiny, my dear brother? I know that it is not a 
pleasant subject to dwell upon, but I feel so much 
for those who have suffered in it that my account 
would become longer than I meant to have it. My 
next letter will be of new people and new scenes. 




XIII. 

THE SADHS, AND A BAPTISM. 

EAE AEGYLE : Chat was out this morn- 
ing, looking around as usual, and gave us 
an amusing description of a man whom he 
saw in Furrukhabad. He had a piece of 
thin muslin tied over his mouth. Chat asked some 
one what it was for, and was told that the man did 
it to prevent inhaling insects. We learned that he 
belonged to a class of people called Sadhs. Dear 
me ! I shall never learn all the kinds of people in 
India; there seems to be no end to the variety. 
Well, these Sadhs do all such funny things as tying 
up their mouths. The water they drink has to be 
strained through several fine cloths for the same 
purpose. They reject all the usual forms of salu- 
tation, and say that they believe in one God, but 
the missionaries think they are atheists. They 
have no book like our Bible or the Koran, and 
have no churches or temples. Their meetings are 
secret, and little is known of them. There are not 
many of them. 

102 



THE SADIIS, AND A BAPTISM. 103 

We are told that some of them have learned to 
believe in Jesus. One old man, who was a banker 
of great wealth, bought a New Testament from one 
of the ministers. He read it very diligently, and 
asked the minister to explain what he did not un- 
derstand. On finishing Matthew, he said, " What 
is the reason that qyqyj one speaks against this 
book ? It is incomparable ! I have never seen a 
book like it ! Never have I seen or heard of a 
character like that of Jesus Christ ! Such love and 
such patience ! There is not one among you Chris- 
tians who at all equals him ! This book has de- 
stroyed all my religion ! Your Christ seems to 
shut rich men like me out of heaven !" Hearing 
the old gentleman praise the book in this way, sev- 
eral of his friends have begun to read it. These 
Sadhs welcome the ladies of the mission into their 
houses, and the only trouble is that there are so few 
to go to teach them the way of life. That is the 
difficulty at every station, they say — there are so 
many ready to hear, but so few to teach them. I 
do hope the good folks at home will give a great 
deal of money this year and send out a number of 
missionaries. 

One of those stationed here has written a descrip- 
tion of the baptism of a family near Chibra Mau, 



104 TBYE'S YEAR. 

one of the out-stations a few miles distant. I think 
you would like to hear it, so I'll give you a part of 
it, after telling you something of the man. He lives 
in a little village about a mile from Chibra Mau, 
and his name is Eatn Das. He was a fakir, and 
went from one place of pilgrimage to another, 
hoping to find peace to his troubled mind, but all 
in vain. Finally, he gave up that kind of life, 
bought a little place and married. Still he was 
not satisfied. Then he became acquainted with 
the catechist of Chibra Mau, the Pundit Mohan 
Ldl (pundit means teacher), who told him the good 
news of salvation. He felt that he had found at 
last what he had so long sought, and became a 
Christian. The people told him that he had done 
two very foolish things. They said, " After mak- 
ing so many pilgrimages and laying up so much 
merit, you destroyed much of that merit in aban- 
doning that life and marrying a wife, but now you 
have utterly undone ally in that you have left the 
religion of your fathers to become a Christian ; you 
are now only a Bunghi" (outcast). The writer 
says : 

" On Monday I received a letter from the Pundit 
Mohan Lai, our excellent catechist in charge, of a 
part of which the following is a translation : 



THE SADHS, AND A BAPTISM. 105 

'' ^ May the grace of God be ever on you, honorable 
people ! Let it be known to your honor that it is 
exceedingly proper to give baptism to the inquirer, 
Ratu Das, nor is there any kind of hindrance in 
his family ; so it is well that your honor make no 
delay, but read Acts xi. 11, 12, and come as 
quickly as possible.' " The minister with a friend 
went at this request. They traveled by night, as 
the day was too hot, in a covered ox-cart. They 
were cordially received by the pundit, at whose 
house they spent the heat of the day. When the 
sun began to decline, they went to the village of 
Ratn Das. 

" Arriving there," we read, " we found a large 
audience of village people, men and women, assem- 
bled to see what was to be done, for it was rumored 
everywhere that the Padre Sahib had come, bring- 
ing some filthy stuif with which to feed Ratn Das, 
and thus make him a Christian. There is no pul- 
pit or table or chair or bench, but a clean white 
spread on the ground in the front of the house, on 
which we take our seats. Katn Das and his wife 
are examined as to their faith in Christ and object 
in seeking baptism. Their examination is clear 
and satisfactory. The missionary then reads the 
story of the prodigal son, and instructs the people 



106 TBYE'S YEAR. 

that here are prodigals returned to their Father's 
house, entreats them also to arise and go to their 
heavenly Father. Then we sing a hymn, and now, 
in the presence of all the people, Ratn Das and his 
wife, leading their little one, come forth and kneel 
down on the white cloth before the missionary, the 
little wondering child between them. 

" The missionary asks them, * Do you believe in 
and confess one only God, Maker of heaven and 
earth ? You have believed in and worshiped many 
gods and many idols : do you renounce them all ? 
Do you confess yourselves to be sinners against 
God, needing to be saved from sin? You have 
done many things : you, Ratn Das, have made 
many pilgrimages to do away your sins; do you 
believe that you have done anything whatever of 
merit by all you have done, or do you, abandoning 
all hope from your own works, trust only in the 
Son of God, the Lord Jesus Christ, who gave his 
life for our salvation? And this your child, do 
you promise to bring her up as a disciple of Christ, 
to teach her, pray for her and with her that she 
may with you inherit eternal salvation V 

" As they answer these questions one by one be- 
fore the people, the water — in no silver chalice, but 
in a brazen cup — is handed to the missionary. The 



THE SAJDHS, AND A BAPTISM. 107 

solemn words so often uttered since the Lord first 
sent forth preachers of his gospel are heard again : 
'Ratn Das, I baptize thee in the name of the 
Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. 
Amen/ Again we pray that the Lord would bless 
these new disciples, and bless the people who have 
beheld the holy ordinance. 

" The other minister then made a short address to 
the congregation. Yet a few more words, and we 
sang to a native tune a favorite hymn, beginning, 

* To take away tlie punishment of sin, 
Jesus endured the agonizing cross !* 

" The benediction pronounced, the audience 
quietly dispersed. Not an unseemly act had dis- 
turbed the first baptism in Jorka^s Nagara." 

Good-bye, dear brother ; when you hear from us 
again, we shall probably have gone farther on our 
way. 





XIY. 

THE MOHAMMEDANS. 

EAR BROTHER: Here we are at Agra 
with our beds and baggage. The former 
we have learned never to forget if we want 
anything more than a bedstead to rest upon. 
An American wonders at first at the great bundle 
covered with native carpet, looking like a peddler's 
pack, which he sees every European take into his 
car. The fact is, when a person goes away from 
home, he must take his bedding and frequently his 
bed with him. People consider India such a tem- 
porary abode that they provide themselves with 
only personal necessities. Consequently, when you 
go to visit a friend, you are shown a room with a 
low single bedstead, which you must furnish your- 
self. If you go to a hotel, it is the same. A party 
who stopped at this same hotel a few months since 
were furnished with only three sheets for seven 
persons, and were even accused of stealing one of 
these. 

108 



THE MOHAMMEDANS. 109 

We have been talking about the Taj Mahal as 
if we were making a pilgrimage to it. I have not 
yet seen it, so in this letter I will tell you something 
of the people. 

The majority of those we have seen before in 
India are Hindoos, but this is decidedly a Moham- 
medan city. You see the tall, dignified Mussel- 
mans going about the streets as if they were the 
rulers of the land. They never forget that they 
once did govern India, nor that they may some time 
in the distant future regain their former position. 
They make me think of the Pharisee who prayed 
" Lord, I thank thee that I am not as other men !" 
They look down with contempt upon the idol wor- 
shipers of the land, and think us but little better 
because we do not believe in the great prophet, 
Mohammed, and w^e do believe in Jesus as the 
Saviour of our souls. 

Some of the elderly men look as we might have 
pictured to our minds the old prophets with their 
long, flowing beard and lofty bearing. Their 
beard, by the way, must be worn, for their religion 
does not allow them to shave. Some of the 
younger men, however, do shave all but their 
mustache, which. Chat says, represents the whole 
growth. I suppose that is the way they reason ; I 



110 TRYE'S YEAR, 

don't know how else. When they go on a pilgrim- 
age to Mecca, or during their great yearly fast, they 
do not use the razor. They wear loose pyjamas, or 
trowsers, sometimes of silk or other costly material, 
a flowing gown of cotton or silk, with a turban 
and shoes. The turban seems to be a fixture on 
the head during the day. The grossest insult a 
Mohammedan can receive is to have his turban 
knocked off or taken off in any way. 

Of the women, except the lower classes, we have 
seen nothing yet, and as our stay is to be so short, 
we shall probably have no chance to see them at 
home. Mother has been reading an account of 
them by Mrs. Meer Hassan Ali, a lady who spent 
twelve years among them. She shows us what is 
taking place in the zenana. The married women 
apply a preparation of antimony, called missee, to 
their lips, gums, and occasionally to the teeth, so 
as to produce a ^^ rich black." The eyelids are also 
penciled with prepared black, or karjil, composed 
chiefly of lampblack. The eyebrows are examined, 
th^t no stray hair shall destroy the beauty of the 
arch. The mayndhie is applied to her hands and 
feet, w^hich restores the bright red color considered 
so becoming and healthy. Her jewels are numer- 
ous and costly. In the nose is a ring, often as 



THE MOHAMMEDANS. Ill 

large as one of her baugles or bracelets, though 
much lighter. It is made of gold wire, with pearls 
and a ruby between them of great value. At 
meals the lady often has to hold the ring aside 
with her left hand while she conveys food to her 
mouth with the other. This is only removed 
during the mohurrim (a religious anniversary, 
lasting ten days, commemorating the death of two 
early leaders of the Mohammedans), at widowhood 
or at her death. 

Her ears are pierced in several places. Gold 
and silver rings form a broad fringe on each side 
of her head. When dressed for some great event, 
as paying a visit or receiving company, these rings 
give place to strings of pearls and emeralds, which 
fall in rows from the upper part of her ear to her 
shoulder. Her hair, which is black and beautiful, 
is w^ashed, dried, oiled and put up so as to remain 
for a week. They are very particular about their 
teeth, but will not use English brushes because 
they are made of hogs' bristles, the swine being, in 
their estimation, about the most unclean of all 
animals ; with no part of it wall they have any- 
thing to do. 

Now for the dress. The pyjamas are of various 
materials, but often of satin, gold cloth, striped 



112 TEYE'S YEAR. 

washing silk, fine chintz, etc. They are worn 
quite full, falling over the feet, and are confined at 
the waist by a wide ribbon of gold or silver tissue, 
the ends of which hang down before, finished with 
rich tassels which reach below the knee. These 
tassels are often ornamented with pearls and jewels. 
The waist worn is close-fitting and usually orna- 
mented. Over this boddice is thrown the courtee 
of thread net, falling over, but not concealing, the 
rich finish of the pyjamas, and itself adorned with 
gold or silver ribbons, used as trimming on the 
seams and hems. The deputtah, or chuddah, is 
the outside covering and most graceful of the 
whole. In shape and size it is like a large sheet. 
On ordinary occasions it is simply bound with 
silver ribbon, but for dress it is richly trimmed 
with embroidery and gold bullion. It is worn on 
the back of the head, and falls in graceful folds 
over the person. When standing, it is crossed in 
front, one end partially screening the figure, the 
other thrown over the opposite shoulder. They 
rarely stand, but when distinguished guests or 
their elders among their relatives are announced, 
they never omit this mark of respect. They arise 
and arrange their drapery, advance a few steps 
from their place and embrace their visitor three 



THE MOHAMMEDANS. 113 

times in due form. They end by salaaming, with 
the head bowed very low, the open hand raised 
to the forehead three times in succession with 
solemnity and dignity. 

They never wear stockings, and only cover their 
feet with shoes when pacing across the courtyard 
of their house. Their walks do not extend beyond 
this, for, like the Hindoo ladies of high caste, they 
are prisoners for life. They, however, live in more 
luxury than the Hindoos, and have more fancy-work 
to occupy their time. There is one fact which is in 
favor of the Hindoos : they usually have but one 
wife ; the Mohammedan often has many. Still 
there is one who is the chief lady of the harem, 
and though neglected by her husband for some 
more beautiful wife, she retains her position. In 
receiving visitors, which in fine weather is in the 
courtyard, she sits on her musnud or throne in the 
centre. They salaam as they enter her presence. 

None of the other ladies are allowed a musnud. 
The rank of the lady is usually indicated by the 
structure and appearance of the carpet and the mus- 
nud. The latter consists of a large cushion, covered 
with gold cloth or embroidered silk and velvet, and 
is placed upon a carpet about two yards square. 
Two smaller cushions are placed upon the larger to 



114 TBYE'S YEAR. 

support the knees, as the lady sits with her h'nihs 
crossed. To be invited to a seat upon the musnud 
indicates equality in the visitor, or profound respect 
in the hostess. Should the visitor be of very su- 
perior station, or the hostess anxious to show her 
the highest possible form of respect, she resigns her 
cushions altogether, which the visitor occupies. 
A seat even upon the carpet is an honor; how 
much more, then, the resignation of the musnud 
itself! In the houses of those of high rank each 
wife has her own harem, her own musnud, her own 
reception-rooms and halls. 

Mrs. Hassan Ali speaks of these purdah women 
(or women behind the curt&m—pui'clah means cur- 
tain) as contented with their lot, and apparently 
happy in their secluded life. I am sure they must 
be diiferent from American girls and women if 
they are so, for we should want to see what was 
going on outside, and would give the lords of crea- 
tion more trouble than if they allowed us to be 
free ; don't you think so ? 




XY. 

THE TAJ MAHAL. 

E have been out to see Agra. It comes nearer 
the ideal I had formed of an Oriental city 
than any one we have before visited. " It is 
Oriental, but verily not Hindoo — ^a splendid 
exotic, flowering in beauty and brilliancy beside the 
dark and ugly forms of Vishnu and Siva." So says 
Dr. Macleod, and yet the city is not so grand in 
appearance as one would think from a distant view. 
It contains about sixty thousand or seventy thou- 
sand inhabitants, and extends along the river in the 
form of a semicircle over a space about four miles 
long and three in width. We go first to the Taj 
Mahal, three miles from Agra, on the west bank 
of the Jumna. 

There is a beautiful carriage road leading to it, 
and while we are driving out I will tell you what 
this famous building is. It is a mausoleum or 
sepulchre reared by Shah Jehan for his wife, and 
contains his own dust also. Do you ask who 

115 



116 TEYE'S YEAR. 

Shah Jehan was ? Biographers usually begin with 
the father or grandfather, so 1^11 first mention his 
grandfather, who was the famous Akbar. His 
father was Jehanghir. He was the first ruler in 
India who received an ambassador from England. 
That was in the reign of James I. " Jehanghir 
married a famous beauty, Niher-ul-Nissa, the 
widow of Sher Afgan, who, four years previously, 
had been assassinated by this same Jehanghir. 
Her name was changed first into Noor Mahal, ' the 
light of the harem,' and afterward to Noor Jehan, 
' the light of the world.' Jehanghir had im,po2ed 
eight hundred of the race of Timour who were ^ in 
his way' to the throne. Shah Jehan succeeded 
him, having murdered his own brother in order to 
do so. He married Arzumund Banoo, the niece of 
^ the light of the harem ' — the daughter of her 
brother. Upon her elevation to this position her 
name was changed, according to Oriental cus- 
tom, to Mumtazee Zumanee, ^ the paragon of the 
age.' " 

The Taj and all the fine buildings of Agra and 
Delhi were planned by a Frenchman named Austin 
de Bordeaux. He had finished the Taj and begun 
a similar sepulchre for Shah Jehan on the other side 
of the river, which was to have been connected with 



THE TAJ MAHAL. 117 

this Taj by a silver bridge, when he died, and the 
work was never resumed. He had built the palaces 
of Delhi and Agra, and was engaged in designing 
a silver ceiling for one of the galleries of the latter 
when he was sent for by the emperor to settle some 
affairs of great importance at Goa. He died at 
Cochin on his way back. He is supposed to have 
been poisoned by the Portuguese, who were jealous 
of his influence at court. 

The " paragon of the age " was laid to sleep in 
her magnificent resting-place, and not many years 
after her husband was laid beside her. Father says 
the Taj cost upward of three millions of pounds 
sterling. Just think of it ! fifteen millions of dol- 
lars ! Twenty thousand workmen were engaged 
upon it for twenty-two long years. In our country 
we know nothing about wealth compared with that 
of some of those old moguls. 

But we are approaching the famous Taj Mahal, 
" the gem of India and the world, the koh-i-noor 
of architecture." We first see white marble min- 
arets rising above the trees, then we come to a 
grand portal of the extensive grounds around it. 
This entrance of itself is a beautiful buildina: of 
red sandstone, inlaid with white and black marble 
and various colored stones. Its rooms are arched 



118 TBYIJ'S YEAE. 

and spacious. We are taken to the upper story, 
and from a great open arch we behold the Taj. Dr. 
Macleod, whom I have quoted before, says at this 
point, " All sensible travelers here pause when at- 
tempting to describe this building, and protest that 
the attempt is folly, and betrays only an unwar- 
ranted confidence in the power of words to give 
any idea of such a vision in stone." Bishop Heber 
said that after all he had heard of the Taj, its beauty 
far exceeded his expectations. 

Surely, if such were the feelings of these great 
men and finished writers, you cannot expect me to 
give you any idea of the magnificence of the place. 
This I will, of course, not attempt, but will write 
some plain words of description that may point out 
to your mind the general direction of the beautiful 
in this work of art. In doing so I shall some- 
times use the words of others more competent for 
the task than I. 

We are looking out through the great arch over 
the gateway. Before us is a broad white marble 
canal, often full of clear water. At its end rises 
the platform on which the Taj is built. " Each 
side of the canal is bordered by tall dark cypress 
trees, and on feast days about eighty fountains — 
twenty- two being in the centre — fling their cooling 



a 






< 

IS 
93 

■in 




THE TAJ MAHAL. 119 

spray along its whole length, while trees of every 
shade and plants of sweetest odor fill the rest of 
the garden." The first platform of the Taj is of 
red sandstone, and a thousand feet square. At 
each of two opposite sides is a mosque facing in- 
ward. Only the one on the left, or west side, can 
be used for worship, because the faces of the people 
must be turned toward Mecca (west). The pulpit 
is always against the dead wall at the back, and 
the audience face toward it, with backs to the open 
front. 

Above this platform rises a second one about 
twenty feet high, and occupying a place of three 
hundred and fifty feet square. Upon this are the 
celebrated structures that form the Taj. "These 
buildings consist of the tomb itself, which is an 
octagon (or rather a square with the corners cut 
off), surmounted by an egg-shaped dome of about 
seventy feet in circumference, and of four minarets 
about a hundred and fifty feet high, which shoot 
up like columns of light into the blue sky." All 
this is of pure white marble — as pure and fresh as 
when first erected. This climate does not affect it 
as ours would. I said all was white; the pavement 
of the platform on which the buildings rest is of 
white and yellow marble, laid in alternate squares, 



120 TRYE'S YEAR. 

and there is one other exception — the precious stones 
inlaid in "the ornamented work of an exquisite 
flower pattern which wreathes the doors and wan- 
ders toward the dome, one huge mosaic of inlaid 
stones of different colors.'^ 

We walk along the central marble canal, ascend 
the platform, cross the marble pavement and enter 
the Taj. It is more beautiful on close inspection 
than at a distance, so finely is it finished. It is 
grand, and shows us what man may do. I felt as I 
stood there something of the power which God gives 
us. If we would but employ our talents under his 
direction, we could all build, in one way or another, 
something which would far surpass the Taj when 
viewed from the heavenward side of Jordan. Yes, 
I thought, we are building constantly : is it only a 
tomb to cover our decaying bodies, or a part of the 
temple above composed of living stones ? 

But I must not stop to moralize. We enter the 
central hall. This room is noted for its exquisite 
workmanship. The walls, screens and tombs are 
crowned with flowers and inscriptions from the 
Koran in beautiful mosaic of precious stones. 
Just before us as we enter is the screen which is 
so celebrated a part of the Taj. "Divided into 
several compartments and panels, it sweeps around 



THE TAJ MAHAL. 121 

tlie marble cenotaphs that lie within it and repre- 
sent the real tombs seen in the vault beneath. It 
is of purest marble, so pierced and carved as to 
look like a high fence of exquisite lace-work, but 
is really far more refined and beautiful, for every- 
where along those panels are wreaths of flowers 
composed of lapis lazuli, jasper, heliotrope, chal- 
cedony, cornelian, etc., so that to make one of the 
hundreds of these bouquets a hundred different 
stones are required. The Florence mosaic- work 
does not surpass it." 

We lingered long in this room. Every brilliant 
flower upon the screen or the high-arched walls was 
a study and a delight. The carving on the ceno- 
taphs and the sides of the platform they occupied 
showed us the perfect work of the chisel. Over 
the tomb of the famous woman occupying the centre 
of the room, amid wreaths of flowers, worked in 
black letters, are passages from the Koran. One 
ends with, "And defend us from the tribe of unbe- 
lievers." This was planned by Shah Jehan. His 
tomb is at the side, and has nothing from the Koran 
on it, only flowers of mosaic-work, his name and 
the date of his death. 

This was erected by his son, Aurungzebe, who 
was called " the man of prayer." He was very at- 



122 TRYE'S YEAR. 

tentive to tlie forms of his religion, never forget- 
ting the five prayers a day, yet one who reads of 
his treatment of his father and his own brothers 
can see that he was far from doing right at all 
times. His reverence for the Koran was such that 
he would not put its holy words anywhere, even on 
his father's tomb, if there were a possibility of the 
foot of man ever touching them. 

We went out again, and walked around the build- 
ing on the marble pavement. Many new beauties 
and more exquisite carving appeared than we could 
see at a first glance. We looked up at the minarets 
that stand as mighty sentinels at the corners. Each 
one is a lofty tower. We passed down the twenty 
steps and saw the paneling of the sides of the great 
base of the structure, and began to have some idea 
of its grandeur. We took our station at different 
distances from it to view it once more. Finally 
we stood again in the arch over the gateway, and 
the pure white buildings rising out of the rich 
dark foliage were so impressed on one mind at 
least as to make a fadeless picture there. For 
some of the other sights of Agra, wait for my next. 
I cannot begin anything else on the same day that 
I have written of the Taj. 




XVI. 

THE FOBT AND THE PEABL MOSQUE. 

FTER viewiDg the Taj, the next object of 
interest in Agra is the fort, and thither 
we bent our steps to-day. Chat was very 
anxious to see it, for you know he en- 
joys anything in the military line, but I had not 
much curiosity on the subject, for I expected to see 
an ordinary fort such as I had seen before. You 
may imagine my surprise, then, when father ex- 
plained to me on the way what I might expect to 
find in this one. It is a custom in India, he says, 
as it is in some other countries, to have the royal 
palaces within the fort for protection. Here, then, 
I was to see the palace of the great Sultan Akbar, 
with the royal mosque and all the buildings neces- 
sary for royalty. 

The fort itself is very imposing. It is built of 
red sandstone, the walls about eighty feet high. 
Within we find the audience-hall, the rooms for the 
numerous retainers, the zenanas, the mosques, the 

123 



124 TBYE'S YEAR. 

dwellings of the soldiery and buildings for arms 
and for stores of provisions for man and beast. 
These buildings are not crowded, either ; there is a 
good deal of space for walking, so you may imagine 
the fort to cover a large piece of ground. " Dur- 
ing the mutiny, upward of five thousand fugitives 
found refuge within a comparatively small portion 
of its interior." Some of our missionaries were of 
these, and remained until it was safe for them to 
depart. 

We entered the audience-hall of Akbar, which is 
now an armory. It is said to be one hundred and 
eighty feet long and sixty wide, and is supported 
by graceful arches. The throne is still there, but 
without an occupant. We were shown a great 
curiosity in this room, the sandal-wood gates of the 
Hindoo temple of Somnauth. They were carried 
away from the temple as trophies by Mahmoud of 
Guznee in Afghanistan more than a thousand years 
ago. They were recovered by English soldiers 
under General Nott, which fact greatly rejoiced the 
Hindoos. The chief objects in the fort are the 
buildings erected by Shah Jehan, the Pearl Mosque 
and the apartments of the zenana. The plan and 
decoration of the palaces reveal the same mind as 
the one that originated Shah Jehan's sepulchre. 



' THE PEARL MOSQUE. 125 

The Mootee Musjed, or Pearl Mosque, is a perfect 
gem of art. It opens into the marble court and 
garden, which are bounded on the opposite side by 
the palace of the zenana. This palace forms a 
striking contrast to the zenana apartments of most 
of the dwellings in India, either of the Hindoos or 
Mohammedans. You pass through a series of 
rooms, opening one into another, all of pure mar- 
ble. There are balconies with delicate pillars and 
projecting roofs ; balustrades in lacelike open pat- 
terns with no ornaments but gilding. There are 
" rivulets of water streaming from room to room 
along marble beds ; gardens of flowers and precious 
exotics, the creepers running over trellises and 
shading from the heat the pathways across the mar- 
ble floors, and mingling with the flying spray of 
fountains ; and this on and on, from room to room, 
from balcony to balcony, from court to court. And 
then there are two recesses impervious to heat 
whose walls are formed of innumerable small mir- 
rors, with lamps without number, by which tiny 
waterfalls used to be illumined from behind, as 
they flowed into marble fonts, and thence issued in 
bubbling rivulets or sprang in fluttering jets of 
spray of delicious coolness." 

I said at once that the people who lived here in 



126 TRYE'S YEAR. 

such splendor ought to have been happy, if any one 
could be, but mother reminded me that they had not 
the true happiness, and I pitied them instead. I 
pitied them that they had to leave this delight with 
no other for their future. Father said we must see 
the dark side of their earthly lot as well as the bright 
and beautiful, and we descended to a lower story. 
Farther down still we went into empty cells and 
dark caverns that made me shudder. Deep down 
go the mysterious stairs and winding passages. 
There are many evidences, we are told, of beings 
having been taken to some of these unearthly places 
and executed. Some who have explored these hid- 
den recesses tell of a well or pit with ropes hung 
from poles across its mouth, from which hung skel- 
eton bodies of females. 

"In the time of Lord Metcalfe, some engineer 
officers found their way blocked up by a wall where 
no wall should be. They pierced through it for 
about eleven feet, and then emerging upon the 
other side, found the skeletons of a young man and 
of an old and young woman. A well was there, 
but no means of drawing water from it. A beau- 
tiful view could be had from the spot, but no way 
of escape." We saw this place; how cruel he 
must have been who walled up these poor wretches 



THE PEARL MOSQUE. 127 

thus to pine away and die of starvation. Mother 
said, as we stood there, " ^ The tender mercies of 
the wicked are cruel.' " 

But enough of this. I was glad to get out to 
the daylight, and something of the same feeling 
comes over me as I write. Again we stood in the 
beautiful palace, which seemed miles away from the 
horrid vaults beneath it. We looked out from a 
balcony upon a magnificent prospect. There was 
the Jumna winding its way through the country ; 
there the pure stately Taj in its setting of green, 
and in another direction the city of Agra. We were 
just outside the fort, when from the minarets of the 
various mosques we were startled by the call to 
prayer. It was sunset. This has been mentioned 
so often by travelers among the Mohammedans 
that I need say but little about it, though it deeply 
impressed me. At the sound every Mohammedan 
falls upon his knees for prayer. 

We stopped the carriage to watch them. One 
man near us first rubbed his hands, knees and head 
with dust. Father says it is enjoined upon them 
to bathe as the first act of worship, but if no water 
is near, this rubbing with dust answers the purpose. 
He then spread his prayer-carpet of fine matting on 
the ground and faced Mecca. At first he stood 



128 TRYE'S YEAR. 

erect, bis hands lifted up, the pahus held out toward 
heaven, where his eyes also turned. Then he pros- 
trated himself, his forehead touching the ground. 
The prayer here used expresses "un worthiness of 
the creature permitted to approach and worship the 
Creator.^' He then knelt in prayer, after which the 
prostrations were resumed. Another man repeated 
these five times. He was more devout than they 
usually seem to be, but they never forget the times 
of prayer. When the call comes from the minarets, 
they always obey it. I don't know what they 
would think if they knew how often Christian 
people allow something to keep them away from 
worship, in public or in private. Yesterday, Chat 
saw some men who were building. They had a 
heavy stone raised almost to the height they wanted 
it. Just then came the call to pray, and they let 
the stone go down, losing all their hard labor. 
Two or three more minutes would have put the 
->! 'stone in its place. 

Father says they divide their time into four 
equal parts or watches, called purrhs. The night 
is divided in the same way. The watches are sub- 
divided into ghurries, or hours, which vary with the 
change of season. The day is from the earliest 
dawn to the last decline of the light. In this lati- 



THE PEARL MOSQUE. 129 

tude the twilight is very short. Their way of 
measuring time is this, although clocks have come 
into the country with other European conveniences, 
and are used. They have a brass vessel with a 
small aperture at the bottom. This being floated 
on a tank or a pan of water, one drop forces its 
way every second through the hole into the floating 
vessel. Marks are made upon the vessel, outside 
and in, to show the number of ghurries by the 
depth of water drawn into it. In some places a 
certain division of time is marked by the sinking 
of the vessel. Every hour, as it passes, is struck 
by a man on duty with a hammer on a broad plate 
of bell-metal suspended to the branch of a tree or 
to a nail. The durwan (gatekeeper) or the cho- 
keedars (watchmen) keep the time. 

In most establishments the watchmen are on 
guard two at a time, and are relieved at every 
watch, day and night. They are punctual in this, 
if they do appear to take their own time in other 
matters, for their services of prayer are scrupu- 
lously performed at the appointed time. They 
have five prayers a day — one at dawn, the second at 
the second watch, or mid-day, the third at the third 
watch, the fourth at sunset and the fifth at the 
fourth ghurrie of the night. Mohammed observed 



130 TRYE'S YEAR. 

another, called tahujjoot, at the third watch of the 
night. Those who are very devout follow his ex- 
ample. 

Father says there are two sects of Mohammedans 
who think very little of each other; they are 
called Sheahs and Soonies. The leaders of the 
former are called imaums, those of the latter, 
caliphs. The Turks are Soonies, the Persians, 
Sheahs. Most of the Mussulmans, from the river 
Euphrates to the Atlantic, are Soonies ; those east 
of the Euphrates, Sheahs. 

Here both are represented, and perhaps in nearly 
equal numbers. The Sheahs observe ten days of 
the Arabic month, called Mohurrim, as " a period 
of deep humiliation and sorrowful remembrance," 
being the anniversary of the death of two of their 
early leaders, Hassan and Hosein. The Soonies 
look upon these leaders as having been usurpers 
and lawfully put to death by the reigning caliph. 
This being the case, there are usually contests 
between the two parties at the time of the Mohur- 
rim. Those who observe the Mohurrim lay aside 
all ornament and live on the plainest fare during 
the time. They spend large sums of money, how- 
ever, on the processions and trappings, the gifts to 
the poor and the valuable mourning and em- 



THE PEARL MOSQUE. 131 

broidery, never used again. It is said that the 
wealth of the Mohammedans in India may gener- 
ally be estimated by the display they make at the 
Mohurrim. 

There is another period of the year considered a 
peculiarly solemn one, and observed as a fast by all 
" the faithful/^ It is called the Hamazan, and has 
just begun. The Mohammedan year has in it 
twelve lunar months. As ours has thirteen, the 
Hamazan in so many years makes the complete 
circuit of our calendar. It lasts just a month, 
during which time the Mussulmans fast from sun- 
rise to sunset, nor do they use their favorite hook- 
ah, or pipe, but make up for it by eating very 
heartily at night. It is said that, even with this 
privilege, the wives complain that their husbands 
are very irritable during the time. 

So much for Agra, which we expect to leave 
to-morrow. I hope we shall hear from you at 
Delhi. 





XYII. 

DELHI. 

ELHI is a strange old place. The natives 
call it Shahjehanabad, as it was chiefly 
built by Shah Jehan. Chat thinks the 
" bad ^' is the right word to end the name of 
a city, for there is bad enough in all of them. 
The old patriarchs here would not like his trans- 
lation of the word, though. Take, for instance, 
Allahabad, the city of Allah — that is, the city of 
God. They would be shocked to have any one 
hint that it is otherwise than holy. This Shahje- 
hanabad was once the grand capital of the Mo- 
hammedan government, and is still the home of 
"the faithful." You see some stately Afghans 
and milder Sikhs in the street, but not many Hin- 
doos. The present city is a walled one, of about 
seven miles in circumference, and contains not far 
from one hundred and fifty thousand inhabitants. 

We have been out several times seeing the sights. 
They are new to us, though many of them are in 

132 



u 

W 
U 



td 
o 




DELHI. 133 

reality very old. The two points of interest are 
the palace and the Great Mosque, and they are 
magnificent. Here is the same mind that planned 
the Taj and the same royal wealth that built it, 
A writer says that Shah Jehan literally "found 
Agra and Delhi brick and left them marble." 
The palace is three thousand feet long and eighteen 
hundred wide. It can afford space in its great 
open court for ten thousand horsemen. When 
the mutiny broke out, there were in it five thou- 
sand persons, including three thousand of the blood 
royal. A Mohammedan king found it necessary 
to have a large guard, which, with his numerous 
wives, officers and servants, occupied considerable 
space. 

We passed through the entrance, a splendid 
building, into the interior court, beyond which is 
the great hall of audience, or diwan-i-hass, two 
hundred and eight feet long and seventy-six broad. 
It is all of white marble, and once contained the 
famous peacock throne. It is said that untold 
jewels have been plundered from this place. The 
private hall of audience has inlaid in its marble 
precious stones of every hue, and grouped in ex- 
quisite patterns. We passed through the court of 
the harem, with its balconies " looking down into 



134 TBYE'S YEAR. 

once beautiful gardens on the banks of the Jumna/' 
We went through marble halls, and saw where lux- 
urious baths had been ; we had glimpses at every 
turn of the splendors of the mogul court. 

The Jumna Musjid, or Great Mosque, rises in 
spotless purity with its dome and minarets like 
other mosques, yet with greater size, more beautiful 
courts around it and more exquisite finish through- 
out. The dome and minarets are becoming quite 
familiar to me. I like these mosques; they are 
beautiful without and cheerful within, just such 
structures as seem to me fitted for the worship of 
the true God. I only wish he were worshiped here 
in spirit and in truth. 

Outside of the new city is what is left of the old. 
Acres and acres of ruins are here ; they cover an 
area of forty-six square miles. It is said that 
Delhi has three times changed its site since it was 
founded in 57 B. c, which accounts for the large 
space covered. About nine or ten miles from the 
palace is what is called the kootab minar. This is 
a large tower two hundred and fifty feet in height, 
with four projecting galleries or balconies at differ- 
ent distances from the ground, and of different de- 
signs. A stairway of three hundred and eighty 
steps winds within and leads to the top, where a 



DELHI. 135 

splendid view is obtained. Father says that some 
suppose this to be a great column of victory, while 
others think it to have been intended for one min- 
aret of an immense mosque ; the others were never 
finished. At its base are ruins of a large mosque, 
which would seem to confirm this last opinion. 

Here are carved pillars which once belonged to 
a palace. Here, too, are the famous arches of 
Delhi, three larger ones and three smaller ones, 
belonging to the same building. They are the 
pointed arch, beautifully carved, the central one 
of the large ones being fifty-two feet high and 
twenty-two feet wide. 

Near the kootab is a pillar fifty feet high (twenty- 
two above ground), one single piece of wrought 
iron and entirely without rust. But the greatest 
of the ruins are the tombs. The Mohammedans 
think more of building enduring houses for the 
dead than for the living. In this vicinity is the 
tomb of the Emperor Altumsh, who died 1235 
A. D. ; he built it himself, and gave orders to have 
no purdah (screen) between himself and heaven. 
His wish was obeyed, so there is no dome to the 
sepulchre* 

We paused before the tomb of Nizamudeen 
Ouleea, who defeated the Transoxoniaff" army in 



136 TRYE'S YEAR. 

1303. There were a number of men around it 
who had come on pilgrimage from different parts 
of the country. It is a small building with a 
white marble dome, and kept very neat. Beside it 
is the grave of the poet Khusroo, his friend. 
Khusroo sang to the music of the lyre, and seems 
to have delighted the royal court. His songs are 
still popular. His grave receives as much atten- 
tion as that of any of the old saints. About 
halfway between the great tower and the new city 
is the tomb of Munsoor Ally Khan, built after the 
model of the Taj. It is composed of three kinds 
of stone, white marble, red sandstone and fine 
flesh-colored sandstone. The marble is very in- 
ferior to that in the Taj. 

But there is no end to these tombs. I will men- 
tion only one more, the one which interested me 
most — that of Jehanara Begum, daughter of Shah 
Jehan. Her remains are covered with a marble 
slab, hollow at the top and exposed to the sky. 
The hollow is filled with earth covered with grass. 
Upon the marble is this inscription, said to have 
been written by herself: " Let no rich canopy cover 
my grave. This grass is the best covering for the 
tombs of the poor in spirit. The humble, the 
transitory Jehanara, the disciple of the holy men 



DELHI. 137 

of Christ, the (laughter of the Emperor Shah 
Jehan/' She is said to have learned the Christian 
religion of her brother Dara, and from her epitaph 
it would seem that she may have died a Christian. 
I became very much interested in her, and, in fact, 
in all that royal family. Father promised to tell 
me their history, and I will write something of it 
in my next. Till then, adieu. 





XVIII. 

PEINCES AND PRINCESSES. 

EAE BROTHER ARGYLE : I was to In- 
troduce the family of Shah Jehan to you 
this time ; well, here they are. I will write 
what father has told me of them. The old 
emperor had four sons and three daughters. The 
eldest son was Dara Shakoh. He is said to have 
been one of the handsomest men in the empire. 
He studied the religion of the Europeans, and is 
thought to have become a convert to Christianity. 
He cultivated the society of these foreigners, and 
was not liked so well by the Mohammedans, in con- 
sequence. Jehanara was older than Dara, a person 
of great beauty, wit and accomplishments. She 
was very much attached to Dara, and always took 
his part. Sultan Shoojah, the second son, was not 
so handsome, high-minded or intelligent as Dara, 
but equal to him in courage. He changed his sect 
from Soonnie to Sheah, to gain favor with the Per- 
sian noblemen. 

138 



PRINCES AND PRINCESSES. 139 

Aurungzebe, the father of Lalla Rookh, and 
third son of Shah Jehan, was of middle stature, 
slender figure and long features, particularly the 
nose. The expression of his countenance was said 
to be mild and pleasing, though always sedate. His 
conversation was generally on religion and the laws 
of the prophet. He always carried the Koran 
under his arm and prayed five times a day. He 
never appeared in public except in a clean white 
dress, and always without ornaments. His name 
he inscribed among the fakirs, and he lived like 
one, on rice, roots and water. This all sounds very 
well, but he was really as great a rascal as any in 
the land. Dara knew him well, and said, " Of all 
my brothers, I fear only that man of prayers." 
Shoojah also understood him, but their youngest 
brother became his dupe. 

Roshunara Begum was the second daughter and 
fifth child of Shah Jehan. She had less beauty 
than Jehanara, but more cunning. She resembled 
Aurungzebe as much as Jehanara was like Dara, 
and was as fully devoted to him. Moorad Buksh, 
the youngest son, was a brave, headstrong man 
who devoted all his time to the sports of the field, 
military exercises and the pleasures of the table. 
He prided himself on his strength and courage. 



140 TBYE'S YEAR. 

Miher Omissa Begum was the youngest child. She 
was not attractive in mind or appearance. Dress 
and trifling amusements occupied her time. 

In 1651 the sons of Shah Jehan were appointed 
to govern certain provinces. Dara was made vice- 
roy of Cabul and Lahore, with permission to live at 
Delhi and assist his father as the heir-apparent to 
the throne. Shoojah was viceroy of Bengal, Bahar 
and Orissa. Aurungzebe was to govern the Dec- 
can, or the imperial dominions south of the Ner- 
budda River, Moorad Buksh, the provinces of 
Guzerat and Malwa. At the time of these ap- 
pointments the emperor was at Cabul with his 
court. Moorad set out for his dominions alone ; 
Shoojah and Aurungzebe went as far as Delhi, 
where they remained a few days. A daughter and 
son of the former were there betrothed to a son and 
daughter of the latter. The two brothers swore 
upon the Koran to continue through life the good 
feeling then existing between them. 

I can only tell you a few of the principal events 
in the history of this family, for the whole of it 
would make a large book. In 1658, Shah Jehan 
became suddenly and dangerously ill, and for some 
time he was supposed to be dead. Then the four 
sons all prepared to fight for the throne. Here is 



PRINCES AND PRINCESSES. 141 

where the hypocrisy of Aurungzebe begins to show 
itself. He apparently tried to have Moorad pro- 
claimed emperor, while he was really laying his 
plans to place the crown upon his own head. 

In Golconda there was a man bearing the pretty 
little name of Mohammed Mouzzin Ameer Jumla. 
He was a native of Persia, handsome, graceful 
and learned in all the education Persia could fur- 
nish. He had come to Southern India as an at- 
tendant on a Persian merchant, and entered the ser- 
vice of the king of Golconda. Here he became 
viceroy over the richest province of the kingdom 
and a man of great power in the land, and of im- 
mense wealth. 

Aurungzebe, through the entreaties of Roshu- 
nara, prevailed on Shah Jehan to invite this man 
to his court at Delhi. He did so, and Ameer 
Jumla brought many valuable presents to the em- 
peror. Among these was the famous Koh-i-noor, 
or " mountain of light," which he had gotten from 
one of the mines of Golconda. Ameer was soon 
after appointed prime minister, and told Shah 
Jehan that there were many such diamonds in the 
Deccan. He had only to entrust him with an army 
for the conquest of that part of the country to have 
unbounded wealth. The emperor had become very 



142 TRYE'S YEAR. 

avaricious, and was dazzled with this brilliant pros- 
pect. He immediately placed an army at the dis- 
posal of his new prime minister. 

Dara and Jehanara saw that this was a snare 
laid by Aurungzebe. Such an army under such a 
leader would give Aurungzebe the empire when- 
ever he might seize upon it. They urged their 
father not to take the step, but he only attributed 
wrong motives to them. He was angry at Dara at 
the time, because he thought that Dara had poisoned 
his minister Sadoollakhan, so he would not listen 
to him. Unable to prevent the emperor from send- 
ing out the army, they persuaded him to make 
Ameer's command independent of Aurungzebe, and 
to confine the latter to his own dominions, also to 
insist on Ameer's leaving his wife and children at 
court as hostages for his fidelity. Ameer hesitated 
about accepting this last condition, but the emperor 
promised to send his family on after him, so he 
yielded the point. His eldest son was made prime 
minister in his absence. 

Aurungzebe was displeased with the king of Be- 
japore, and got Shah Jehan's permission to invade 
his territory. Aurungzebe then sent for Ameer to 
join him, but Ameer feared that his family would 
be killed by Dara if he did so, and declined. Now 



PRINCES AND PRINCESSES. 143 

we come to a time of terrible war among the 
brothers. Aurungzebe addressed Moorad as " your 
imperial majesty." At their first interview in 
front of the army, Aurungzebe got oflF his elephant 
and walked some distance to meet him. He seemed 
so sincere and so pious that Moorad trusted him 
fully. Aurungzebe knew that his father had long 
been out of danger, but took good care that Moorad 
should get no news from Delhi or Agra. 

Dara sent out an army against Shoojah, who was 
marching on the capital, and who exclaimed as he 
did so, "Death or the throne!" He proclaimed 
that Dara had poisoned his father and he was 
hastening to revenge the murder. Aurungzebe 
and Moorad defeated their father's army near 
Ojeyne. When Shah Jehan heard of this defeat, 
he raised his eyes to heaven and exclaimed, "O 
Lord, thy will be done; it is for my sins that I am 
afflicted, and much heavier punishment have they 
merited." 

Dara demanded vengeance on the family of 
Ameer Jumla, but his father would not allow them 
to be arrested. Dara marched in person against 
his brothers with an army of one hundred thou- 
sand horse, fifty thousand foot and one hundred 
pieces of artillery. He took his family with him. 



144 TEYE'S YEAR 

his camp equipage being carried on the back of 
five hundred camels. He was defeated, and retreat- 
ing toward Lahore, was robbed by the Jats. 

Shah Jehan kept armed women (Calmuck women) 
in his seraglio, as has been done by the native kings 
since his time. He intended to have Aurungzebe 
and Moorad imprisoned by them, but these undu- 
tiful sons imprisoned him instead. Aurungzebe 
now made extensive preparations for the coronation 
of Moorad at Mathara — at least, so he made the 
people believe. After consulting the stars, the day 
of the ceremony was fixed for June 27, 1658. 
The spot chosen was the great plain in front of the 
old mosque. The descriptions we have of this 
scene give us an idea of grandeur such as is only 
witnessed in the East. Tents formed of richest 
gold brocade were pitched all around the plain, 
and the whole space within covered with canopies 
of rich colored cloth supported upon poles fastened 
to the ground by ropes of silk. Upon a throne 
under these magnificent canopies, and in the midst 
of the armies, Moorad was to receive the turban 
and the imperial sabre from the hands of the great 
Kazee or chief priest of the Mohammedans. 

The evening before this event was to take place 
Aurungzebe asked Moorad to sup with him. 



PBINCES AND PHINCESSES. 145 

Moorad was warned by some of Aurungzebe's 
attendants not to put himself in his brother's 
power, but he saw no reason for fear, and accepted 
the invitation. He was urged to drink to intoxi- 
cation, and while in that state was fettered and im- 
prisoned by servants of Aurungzebe, who stood 
ready for the deed. Aurungzebe was crowned 
emperor on July twenty- third in Shalamar garden, 
near Delhi, and the next day after set out in pur- 
suit of Dara. Dara's army was again defeated, 
and he was slain. His two sons were imprisoned 
and killed. Aurungzebe met Shoojah in battle 
in Bengal and destroyed him with his whole 
family. 

Princes were frequently put to death in those 
days by giving them 'poust to drink. This poust, 
an old writer says, is " poppy expressed and infused 
a night in water. It is that potion which those 
that are kept at Gwalior are commonly made to 
drink — I mean those princes whose heads they 
think it fit not to cut off. They drink it the first 
thing in the morning. It emaciates them and 
maketh them die insensibly, they losing little by 
little their understanding and growing senseless.^' 
This drink was given to Moorad at first, but the 
bloody usurper was afraid to leave him to die by 

10 



146 TEYE'S YEAR. 

this means, and so had him executed. Aurungzebe 
had now destroyed all his brothers, and held un- 
disputed sway. 

The Princess Jehanara shared the captivity of 
her father, and remained with him until his death. 
During this imprisonment, Jehanara spent most of 
her time in waiting the lives of the celebrated 
saints in the valley of Cashmere. On Shah 
Jehan's death, in 1666, she became reconciled to 
Aurungzebe, who restored to her all the estates 
and governments she had enjoyed under her father, 
amounting to an annual revenue of a million pounds 
sterling, and gave her the title of Shah Begum, or 
Sovereign Princess. She died six years after her 
father, in the fourteenth year of the reign of 
Aurungzebe. 

Father closed the book he had referred to several 
times while giving us these facts, and asked, 

" What now do you think of this royal family ? 
Would you like to be a Mohammedan princess, 
Trye?" 

" Not for the world, father,^' I said. " This is a 
terrible story. I wonder that Aurungzebe could 
have a moment's peace after all the crimes he hac 
committed." 

"Such are the triumphs of the world, my 



PRINCES AND PRINCESSES. 147 

daughter, and the tender mercies of the wicked, 
which you know are cruel. This is a fair speci- 
men of the lives of those who reigned here in the 
olden time. You need not want to know the 
history of many of the Mohammedan princes." 

"I don^t see why they let Aurungzebe live," 
said Chat ; " the miserable old fellow ! I wouldn't 
have been one of his subjects ; I would have run 
away first." 

" I think Dara ought to have had the throne," I 
said. " I like him and Jehanara too ; they would 
have done finely." 

"Yes; I would have fought for him and got 
Aurungzebe out of the way somehow, if I could," 
said Chat. " He ought to have been hung on one 
of those silk tent-ropes after he had lived on poust 
for a month." 

" It is a pity you were not there to have righted 
matters," father said, quietly. 

Chat laughed, and said that he only meant that 
he would have done all he could to put the right 
king in his place and the wrong one in his place. 

'' I don't see why such men as Aurungzebe are 
ever allowed to have control of affairs," I said, 
" for they surely do harm instead of good." 

" Do you think the Lord makes mistakes in not 



148 TEYE'S YEAR. 

checking these wicked men before they have done 
any injury?'' mother asked. 

" Oh no V^ I said — '^ no, he cannot do wrong, 
but — but — I don't understand it." 

" Ah, there it is ! she said. " We are too apt to 
think things are wrong because we do not under- 
stand them. Look at the life and death of our 
dear Redeemer. He suffered from the indifference 
and insolence and ill-treatment of the men of his 
time. ' He was despised and rejected of men,' and 
'he was brought as a lamb to the slaughter,' just 
as Isaiah had foretold. Now, it was necessary that 
he should live our life and have all these trials 
from man ; it was necessary that he should die as 
he did — forsaken and beyond the reach of sym- 
pathy — for us. The sin of those who despised 
him and those who participated in his crucifixion 
was terrible to think of, as is that of those who re- 
ject him now, but their doings formed a part of 
the great plan of salvation. They would not 
believe, and God allowed them to carry out their 
own wicked schemes, and thereby to show his 
glory. God will make even the wrath of man to 
praise him, and what is beyond the needed measure 
he will restrain." 

"But, mother," said Chat, "you do not think 



PBINCES AND PBINCESSES. 149 

that wicked meD, the heathen and savages, for in- 
stance, are working out God^s purposes when they 
are doing all they can against him, do you ?" 

" Most assuredly I do. They do not do it to aid 
his cause, but they do aid it, nevertheless. Those 
mogul emperors at war with each other only 
thought of their own gain, but they were them- 
selves overthrowing a very corrupt government 
and paving the way for the religion of Christ and 
for a better state of affairs temporal ly.^' 

Mother had given me new ideas in this explana- 
tion. I believed before that God reigned and did 
" all things well," but could not see why he didn't 
put down at once all opposition to his law. Now 
I could see the reason, and could tell why mother's 
faith is always so strong and why she is always so 
hopeful. It is, as she says, a blessed thought that 
God reigneth, and that he is a God of love. I re- 
member thinking of this one day last summer 
when we had a very severe thunder-storm, and the 
whole scene returned to my mind with this conver- 
sation. It seemed as if this whole universe were 
shaken, and yet it was only a commotion in one 
little part of our ocean of air. I spoke of this, 
and father said, " So of the strifes and destructions 
of men. When in the midst of them they are 



150 



TRYE'S YEAR. 



terrible to us, but viewed from afar, as we look 
down the ages of history, they may be only the 
showers that purify the moral air, or the tempests 
that bring devastation to prepare the way for noble 
building." 

But my letter is growing very long, so I will 
not attempt to give you more of our conversation 
on this subject. 





XIX. 

THE KOHTNOOE, THE BEGUM AND THE CHRIS- 
TIANS. 

(AST evening as mother, Chat and I sat on 
the verandah of our temporary home in 
"^ Delhi, Chat said he had been thinking about 
the Kohinoor, and asked mother what be- 
came of it after it was given to Shah Jehan. "I 
cannot trace it through all the details of its wan- 
derings," she said, " and it would be too long a 
story were I to do so, but I will tell you something 
about it. It lay in the imperial treasury for nearly 
a century, when it was taken by Xadir Shah, king 
of Persia. He invaded India during the reign of 
Mohammed Shah in the year 1738. This king, in 
one of his mad fits, had put out the eyes of his son. 
He himself was afterward assassinated, and the 
conspirators gave the throne and the diamond to 
his son's son, Shahrookh Mirza, who lived at Mees- 
heed. Shah Mirza lost his eyes some time after 
that, during a civil war in his dominions. Ahmed 
Shah marched to his relief, put the rebels to death 

151 



152 TEYE'S YEAR. 

and united his eldest son, Timoor Shah, in mar- 
riage to the daughter of the unfortunate prince. 
Ahmed took the diamond from Mirza, reasoning 
that it could be of no use to a blind man. 

He established his son Timoor at Herat, his own 
residence being at Cabul, where he died. Timoor 
succeeded his father, and was succeeded in turn by 
his eldest son, Zuman Shah, w^ho after a reign of a 
few years was driven from the throne by his younger 
brother Mahmood. Zuman went to his friend, who 
commanded a distant fortress, for protection. As- 
heek betrayed him to the usurper and put him in 
confinement. He bid the great diamond in a crevice 
of the wall of his prison, and his other jewels in a 
hole made in the ground with his dagger. 

As soon as Mahmood heard from Asheek of the 
arrest, he sent for his brother, had his eyes put out 
and demanded the jewels, but Zuman pretended to 
have thrown them in the river as he passed over. 
Two years after this the third brother, the Sultan 
Shoojah, deposed Mahmood and ascended the throne 
by the consent of his elder brother. He blew from 
the mouths of cannon Asheek, his wife and all his 
children. 

He intended to put out the eyes of his brother 
Mahmood, but was deterred from doing it by the 



THE KOHINOOB. 153 

persuasion of his brother and Zuman. The latter 
told him where he had concealed the great diamond, 
and Shoojah soon took possession of it. Mahmood 
escaped from prison, raised a party and drove out 
his brothers, and once more became king. The two 
brothers went to the territories of the East India 
Company for protection, and from that time lived at 
Lodiana upon a pension assigned them by the 
British government. On their way through the 
territory of the Sikh chief, Runjeet Singh, in 1813, 
Shoojah was discovered to have the great diamond 
with him, and was compelled to surrender it to his 
host. In 1849, when the Punjaub was united to 
the territories of the East India Company, it was 
stipulated that the Kohinoor should be surrendered 
to Queen Victoria, in whose possession it has been 
ever since. It is certainly the most celebrated dia- 
mond in the world. It has been so cut that it is 
smaller now than then, but of greater brilliancy, 
owing to the greater number of faces to refract the 
light. - 

" That is a wonderful history for a little stone," 
said Chat ; " it ought to be able almost to tell its 
own story by this time. And even this piece of 
carbon (I haven't studied chemistry for nothing) 
couldn't be told about without an account of those 



154 TRYE'S YEAR. 

old fellows fighting and putting each other's eyes 
out. Well, they were a wretched set, and there are 
plenty more like them in the world now, I suppose. 
I saw a Musselman in the street the other day with 
a long nose and very sedate. He looked exactly as 
I think Aurungzebe must have done, and I felt 
like going up to him and knocking off his turban.'' 

" I should like to see the wonderful diamond 
that has had such an eventful history," I said ; " I 
am more interested in it than in those fellows you talk 
about who treated each other so shamefully." And 
yet I have been very anxious to see some one who 
had belonged to royalty here, or who is a descendant 
of any of the noted characters of whom I have 
written. 

A missionary lady told us that several members 
of the late royal family were numbered among their 
pupils, and asked me to go with her to see one fam- 
ily closely related to the dethroned king. We saw 
two girls, rather pretty-looking, but not any more 
royal than many others I had seen. The most in- 
teresting personage to me was their grandmother. 
This old lady, named Imami Begum, told us a 
very pitiful story about her former greatness and 
present poverty. Her father, brother and nephew 
had each occupied the throne of Delhi, and the last 



THE KOHINOOE. 155 

of these, as she said, had "joined his kingdom to 
the dust/' She had once robed herself with silks 
and valuable ornaments, but now she wears an old 
blanket around her body, and lives upon the two 
dollars and a half a month given her as a govern- 
ment pension. 

The court of her house is nearly full of elegant 
marble tombstones, beneath which lie buried vari- 
ous members of the family. It was sad to see the 
old lady doing the work of a servant where she 
had once had numbers of attendants to wait upon 
her. The lady said, after we came out, " It makes 
us feel very tenderly toward her, and many times 
do we endeavor to convey to her weary heart the 
rich and priceless consolations of the gospel of 
Christ. At times she seems touched, but I fear her 
heart is too much absorbed in her earthly troubles 
to realize her spiritual need." 

The missionaries have been at work here for a 
number of years, and not without doing much good. 
I have been listening to the story of Walayat Ali, 
a native Christian who was killed here in the time 
of the mutiny. He belonged to a respectable and 
once wealthy Mohammedan family of Agra, and 
w^as led to read the Bible by the words of Col. 
Wheeler, a pious officer in the British army of In- 



156 TBYIJ'S YEAR. 

dia. This unsettled his mind in regard to his for- 
mer belief, and yet for a long time he clung to it. 
At length he went to a moulvi who was consid- 
ered very holy, and sought to become one of his 
disciples. " For this the priest required a fee of 
twelve shillings, but after hard bargaining came 
down to two shillings, at the same time cautioning 
him against telling any one of the small price he 
had paid, and exhorting him to say to all that he 
had paid the full price, twelve shillings." This 
did not certainly appear right, and he thought, '^ I 
can sin enough without the aid of a priest : sin is 
the burden under which I am groaning; and yet 
this man would have me tell lies in order to fill 
his pockets V 

He then turned to the missionaries for help, and 
was baptized by a Baptist minister in 1838. From 
that time to his death he was persecuted continu- 
ally. He was sent to Delhi as a native preacher, 
where he was still stationed when the meeting be- 
gan. When threatened with death by some Mo- 
hammedan soldiers and taunted with being a Chris- 
tian, he said, boldly, " Yes, I am a Christian, and 
I am resolved to live and die a Christian." As a 
Sepoy aimed a blow at him with a sword which 
ended his life, he said, " O Jesus, receive my soul !" 



THE KOHINOOR. 157 

His wife was in great danger, but was protected 
in one way and another until the danger had 
passed. Her words were in the same spirit as 
those of her husband ; " No, I cannot forsake 
Christ. I will work to support my children, and 
if I must be killed, God's will be done." It is a 
sad, sad tale, but one that shows what good, true 
Christians there are among those whom the dear 
Lord has set free from the slavery of heathenism 
to be his own children. The great Kohinoor is 
not to be compared to these jewels, which will shine 
in the palace of glory for ever and for ever. 

This is probably my last letter from Delhi. I 
feel that I have had only a bird's-eye view of it, 
but we must be off to-morrow, so good-bye to the 
old ruins and the sleeping dust of the mogul kings 
whose reigns were written in blood. They are be- 
yond our help, but the living, the thousands upon 
thousands of mortals here going to the same cheer- 
less doom — oh, it makes one's heart sick to think 
of it. Do pray for these poor misguided people, for 
the Lord is " able to save to the uttermost." 




XX. 

WHAT WE SAW AT AMBALA. 

E have taken another step northward, and 
reached Ambala, where we will remain for 
several days, if nothing happens to prevent 
it. Chat and I were out bright and early 
this morning, and had a delightful walk. We stood 
for a long time on a bridge quite near a heathen 
temple. I am surprised to find myself becoming 
so accustomed to seeing the heathen and their wor- 
ship. It used to seem like something to read about 
and hear about, but actually to be where men 
worship idols is something I then did not 
expect. 

Between us and the temple is a pool of the 
clearest water. This is not the main tank for 
bathiug ; that is on the other side of the temple. 
This has been formed by digging for brick material. 
Many of the temples are built with a large court, 
within which is a tank filled with water. Steps 
lead down to the water from all sides. If the 
people would only come to the true Fountain for 

158 



WHAT WE SAW AT AMBALA. 159 

sin and uncleanness, how clearly they would see 
that their bathing, even in the Ganges, is of no 
avail! — that all their offerings to the idols they 
have formed will not cancel one sin ! How glad I 
am that there are such noble men and women work- 
ing for their salvation here, as also at our other 
mission stations ! Were every Christian so entirely 
Christ's as they, how much more rapidly would the 
gospel be borne to the ends of the earth ! 

The Rev. Dr. Morrison, of the mission band, has 
a service every Saturday morning in a house for 
lepers and blind people. Last Saturday we all at- 
tended it after taking chotahazari {[iHIq breakfast). 
This consists of tea and toast, and is one of the reg- 
ular meals in this country. The service was held 
out of doors, the poor creatures seating themselves 
on the ground. It was chilly, and they were well 
WTapped up in their blankets, but occasionally a 
fingerless stump of a hand would come out, or a 
partly-eaten nose in the small portion of the face in 
sight would show the progress of that most loath- 
some disease. Oh, it was heart-sickening to be 
there. But the preaching among them has not 
been in vain. Some of the brightest Christians of 
the station are of their number. 

How great was the contrast between that audi- 



160 TRYE'S YEAB. 

ence and the one I saw the next day in the English 
church at the cantonment ! The congregation con- 
sisted chiefly of " red coats/' but there were some 
civilians, and as much dress among the ladies as we 
ever see in our most fashionable city churches at 
home. He who looketh not upon the outward ap- 
pearance doubtless saw true worshipers in each 
place. 

Here I find some of another kind of natives, the 
Sikhs, who ruled in what is called the Punjaub, to 
the north-west, and who are now scattered over 
North India. I have just been with a dear lady 
of the mission to visit some Sikh women living in 
an old dilapidated fort in the city. Their families 
were formerly Sirdars, or chiefs, but have no power 
now and little or no property. The most interest- 
ing of them was a young woman not long married. 
Her manners were quiet and easy, and she seemed 
quite intelligent. She wore the true Sikh costume 
of her caste, a dress of thin red and white plaid 
silk with a flounce of green, and a red silk chuddah 
with a tinsel band around it. This she drew over 
her face whenever her husband came through the 
court. 

We were completely shut in by the mud walls 
of the surrounding apartments. The place was 



WHAT WE SAW AT AMBALA. 161 

not such as to give very romantic ideas of mission 
work, yet far superior to some houses we see. In 
another court we saw a little mud arrangement for 
cooking, and the lady, knowing that it was not the 
one in general use, asked what it was for. A wo- 
man told her that their husbands cooked their meat 
there, that being a thing the women were not al- 
lowed even to touch. A little boy five years old 
was having his hair combed by a servant. It 
seemed to be a tedious task, as his hair was very long, 
and, I judge, the combing not an every-day occur- 
rence. The Sikh men are very proud of their 
hair, and never cut it. They are very delicate- 
looking, and, like natives in general, are very fond 
of dress. 7^ 

There was a white frost this morning, the first I 
have seen this winter, and the " hills," the grand 
old Himalayas, have had a fall of snow upon 
their- crests. As we returned from our visit to the 
Sikhs, I could not help exclaiming at the beauty 
of the mountains. There is something so pure 
and stately and solemn in their majesty, rising so 
far above us, that the expression, " the eternal 
hills," came unbidden to ray lips. My friend re- 
peated the words of Coleridge in apostrophe to 

another mount : 
11 



162 TRYE'8 YEAR. 

" Tliou too, stupendous mountain ! thou. 
That as I raise my head, a while bowed low 
In adoration, upward from thy base 
Slow traveling with dim eyes suffused with tears. 
Solemnly seemest, like a vapory cloud, 
To rise before me — rise, oh, ever rise ! 
Eise like a cloud of incense from the earth ! 
Thou kingly spirit throned among the hills, 
Thou dread ambassador from earth to heaven. 
Great hierarch ! tell thou the silent sky, 
And tell the stars, and tell yon rising sun, 
Earth, with her thousand voices, praises God." 

From the snowy range which rises behind the 
first row of hills the snow never melts. There are 
two peaks which look from here like tents pitched 
up against the sky. The word Himalaya means 
"seats of snow.'' The highest peak is twenty- 
seven thousand feet above the level of the sea — as 
high as the Green Mountains of Vermont would 
be if perched on Chimborazo. The Hindoos think 
they are the chosen residence of Siva, who, it is 
said, in leaving Ceylon, threw up the Himalayas as 
his place of retreat. Dewtas, or spirits, are supposed 
to live in the glens, and by certain sounds lure 
travelers on to ruin. The extremes of heat and 
cold are excessive in these mountains. The heat 
melts the snow and lays them bare, while the cold 



WHAT WE SAW AT AMBALA. 163 

splits off huge masses of rock, which roll into the 
valleys and chasms below with a terrific noise. 

As we were looking at the giant mountains a 
carriage approached. My friend called my atten- 
tion to it as being the equipage of one of the rajahs 
of this part of the country. He was a fine-looking 
man, and his turn-out was decidedly European, 
showing that he had become used to our forms of 
luxury. But I was more interested in seeing the 
salutations given him by some Hindoos who saw 
him coming. They stopped, slipped off their san- 
dals, adjusted their dress, and as the carriage passed 
bent to the earth, carrying their hands rapidly from 
their head to the ground and recovering their former 
position. They then put on their sandals and went 
their way. 

" We are near a temple," said my friend ; " let us 
stop for a moment to see it and its worshipers." 
We did so. The temple was a small one with a 
hideous-looking idol inside. I do not understand 
why they have such frightful-looking objects to 
worship ; all I have seen are very repulsive. This 
one was covered with oil which had been poured 
upon it, and the dust clung to it. There were four 
or five who had come to worship, while there were 
six or seven priests. One woman was there with 



164 TRYE'S YEAR. 

her little boy. He had brought a handful of rice, 
which she taught him to place, as an offering, before 
the idol. The little fellow seemed afraid of the 
hideous image, and I do not wonder, but the 
mother showed him how to prostrate himself before 
it. As she came out my friend spoke to her in 
Hindoostanee, telling her of the only way of salva- 
tion, but she seemed well pleased with her own way 
of atoning for her sins. 

At the door we saw a man who was only passing, 
but stopped to show his reverence for the god 
within the temple. He removed his sandals, looked 
for a minute at the temple, then prostrated himself 
at full length, so that toes, knees, hands, forehead, 
nose and chin touched the ground. This is an act 
of reverence called Sashtangam. He then rose, 
crossed himself, muttered a prayer, replaced his 
shoes and went on. All, however, were not so de- 
vout as he in passing the sacred place. He was 
evidently a strict Brahmin, and took great care that 
his clothing should touch no person or object 
which would defile him. These poor deluded 
beings, how I do pity them ! They are doing all 
they can to take away their sins, but all in vain, 
when Jesus died for them as well as for us. 




XXI. 

POON, AND THE MEHTEB8. 

'|AST night I listened to one of the mission- 
aries as he was telling father aind mother 
^ about jpoon. I presume you wonder what 
that is, as I did when I first heard it. It 
is a Hindoo word, and means religious merit. Now 
let me hold fast some of the new ideas I have 
caught by giving them to you. Isn't that a queer 
way we have of fastening things in our memory, 
by giving them to some one else ? 

Poon is obtained by the performance of all 
works of benevolence and self-denial which the 
people of India think are beyond what is required 
of them in ordinary duty, such as in the Roman 
Catholic Church would be called " works of super- 
erogation. '^ 

One of the most important means of obtaining 
^oon is giving, first to the Brahmins, then to the 
poor of all classes and castes. Xow, you must know 
that the Brahmin priests are a mean, idle set of 
beggars, who seize upon any important event, as a 

165 



166 TBYE'S YEAR. 

birth, marriage, death or sudden calamity, for ex- 
tracting gifts from their poor deluded followers. 
To feed a Brahmin is considered the most merito- 
rious service. To give him a cow is to furnish him 
transportation over an imaginary river which all 
must cross who enter heaven. According to their 
theory, they are to be saved by clinging to a cow as it 
swims over to the other side. Of course the reward 
is very great to the giver. A rajah, or king, occa- 
sionally presents an elephant; a horse will pur- 
chase for the giver everlasting happiness in para- 
dise. The poon is less for giving to ordinary 
beggars, but so prevalent is the idea of obtaining 
merit in this way that every one who receives food 
or money from you supposes he is thereby confer- 
ring a great favor on yourself. "Are you not doing 
it for jpoon f^ he will ask. 

Building temples, planting groves and digging 
wells for the refreshment of weary travelers form 
fertile sources of merit. The country is in many 
parts dotted with delightful little groves planted 
as an act of religion. At a place by the roadside 
near Dehra a Hindoo kept for several years a 
number of ghore, or clay water-pots, filled, where 
all might drink. There were separate spouts for 
the different castes, and a glass for Europeans, so 



POON, AND THE MEHTERS. 167 

that none need defile themselves. Still another 
means of acquiring poon is making long pilgrim- 
ages to sacred places, as the tomb of a noted Brah- 
min, a famous temple or a place where one of their 
gods descended from heaven or performed some 
mighty act. 

While one of our missionaries v^as making a 
tour in the interior of the Himalayas, he met a 
man carrying his aged and decrepit mother over 
the snows and narrow mountain-paths to an ancient 
temple. Doubtless he expected great reward, both 
to his mother and himself, for this difficult and 
perilous undertaking. But probably the greatest 
source of merit is bathing in sacred waters. I 
have written you of the thousands who gather 
yearly at Hardwar and Allahabad to bathe in the 
Ganges. Here they suppose all sin is washed away, 
and that millions of years of bliss will be added to 
them in another world for their ablutions. 

But I must not occupy too much space with 
poony for I want to tell you in this letter some- 
thing about the Mehters. We all went out to a 
Mehter village near by this morning. The 
Mehters are outcasts from the Hindoos. They are 
employed to do the most menial service, and, what 
is greater shame in the estimation of the Hindoos, 



168 TEYE'S YEAE, 

they eat all kinds of food^ not excepting beef and 
porh. They are consequently not allowed to wor- 
ship at a Hindoo temple, nor even to live in 
their cities, but must have towns of their own 
outside. After a nice little walk on the smooth 
main road, we turn off into the sand, and soon meet 
a high mud wall. We walk the length of this, for 
it only extends around three sides of the village, 
and enter. Here are narrow streets and little low 
mud houses with roofs made of branches of trees, 
leaves, grass, etc. No shops nor stores, for the few 
things they need are bought in the city. 

But before we have gone far every house is 
emptied of its occupants. The news of our coming 
has spread almost instantaneously, and every man, 
woman and child is out to . see us. Those of the 
men who are best dressed wear a tight-fitting coat 
coming up close about the neck, like those worn by 
Hindoos and Mohammedans. The women, who, 
in this low caste, are not imprisoned in zenanas, 
have suits of coarse, striped cotton cloth. 

All salute us by touching the hand to the fore- 
head, saying, " Salaam !" or, if very polite, " Gee 
salaam." Chat has been practicing salaams^ and 
bowed very low to them, which pleased them 
much. 



POON, AND THE MEHTERS. 169 

Coming out, we noticed little low shrines made 

of rick and plaster, wdth a small niche in each for 

a native lamp. These are their places of worship. 

We passed an immense well with a substantial 

wall about it, which you ascend by two or three 

steps. This is a public institution, and answers 

for the whole village. Next we entered their 

school-house. This is behind the village, near the 

well. Rev. Dr. Morrison had It erected, and I 

dare say the poor Mehters think it a fine building, 

for it has a tight roof and wooden doors. Some 

of these being always open, window-sash is entirely 

unnecessary. Here were about twenty boys and 

nine or ten girls seated on the floor ; they rise as 

we enter, and say, " Missi baba salaam,'^ in a tone 

that would remind you of a primary school at 

home. JSTone of these children are beyond very 

short words yet, but Philip, the native Christian 

teacher, has already taught them some verses from 

the Bible, and several hymns, which they learn 

very readily. 

Father and Chat were out to their village the 
morning after we came here. The women were 
then all at the well washing their heads and hair. 
They told father that somebody had died. After 
a death it is their custom to have a feast, and the 



170 



TBYE'S YEAR. 



women wash their heads. Chat said he wished the 
fakirs would lose some friends, so as to become clean 
once in their lives. But I am more and more in- 
terested in the different kinds of people I find here, 
and realize more and more what mankind is with- 
out the Bible. How much we ought to pray for 
the Holy Spirit to show these people their error 
and the only way of life ! 





XXII. 

AMBALA TO DEHBA. 

FTER sending my last letter to you, we were 

very much surprised and delighted to see 

^ ^ Uncle Mansfield and Ella come in upon us 

at Ambala. Uncle had written us that he 

would perhaps be able to meet us at Saharanpur, 

but his coming so far was a complete surprise to 

us all. He looks very much as I remember him 

when they were all at our house at home, only his 

hair has a little more gray in it and his beard is 

longer. You know I was quite a little girl then. 

Ella, being only a year older than I, has changed 

so much that I would not have known her, and she 

says the same of me. We, soon became acquainted, 

though, and had a good laugh over many of our 

little childish pleasures and troubles when we were 

together. Aunt's health is so much better here 

than in a colder climate that they seem to look 

upon this place as their home, for the present at 

least. 

Let me see : where did I leave off in my last let- 

171 



172 TBYE'S YEAR. 

ter ? I have had so much to enjoy since in meeting 
these "home folks/' as Chat calls them, that it 
seems an age (a short one) since I wrote. I told 
you of a few of the things I saw and heard at Am- 
bala ; now for the onward trip. We took leave of 
our kind friends, the dear missionaries, and started 
last Tuesday, as we had planned. We were up 
very early, ate a substantial breakfast — not a chota 
hazari — and rode to the station before daylight. 
From the car window we watched the rising sun 
as it painted the sky and silvered the distant peaks 
of the snowy range. I need not tell you of the 
many dry river-beds over which we passed — the 
Jumna only has water in it — nor of the level coun- 
try through which we traveled. The plains are 
monotonous, and now, while the grass is dry and 
withered, have little beside their beautiful trees to 
save them from being a complete desert. 

It is a three hours' ride, in the slow Indian 
trains, to Saharanpur, the City of Groves. We saw 
some of the beautiful mango groves from which it 
is named before reaching the city. Here we re- 
mained two days, and found enough of interest to 
keep us looking and wondering, as usual in our 
visits to the cities of India. 

This is a mission station, and just at the time 



AMBALA TO DEHRA. 173 

we were there the missionaries came from other 
places to attend presbytery, which was about to 
meet there. The reunion was a delightful one; 
they seem like so many brothers and sisters. 

Uncle and father and mother were perfectly 
happy among them, and stayed a day longer than 
they had intended on that account. Some of these 
good people came twenty-eight or thirty miles with 
all the requisites for housekeeping. You ought to 
have seen them, some on ponies, some in wagons, 
with bullock carts for tents, furniture, etc. They 
had been two or three days in coming, having 
preached in the little villages on their way. It 
was a very novel sight to me, and a romantic one, 
as they came into the compound, unloaded, pitched 
tents, and in an hour looked as homelike and com- 
fortable as need be. The next day we were taken 
to a school of Mohammedan girls in the city which 
Mrs. Calderwood superintends. This is only one 
of three or four heathen schools she has in chiarge. 

On Thursday morning we started in a van on 
our forty-mile ride. This van deserves a passing 
notice. It is a great broad vehicle with a wooden 
frame and top and canvas curtains all around. It 
has two compartments. In the hinder one there 
are sleeping accommodations for two, in the front, 



174 TRYE'S YEAR. 

for one. I started with a cloth sacque, waterproof 
and shawl, and needed all in the chilly December 
morning, but before noon was glad to throw off all 
but my sacque. 

For a few miles out of Saharanpur we rode 
through a beautiful avenue of trees ; afterward it 
was an open level road till we reached the Sewalics, 
a range of high hills. We met hundreds of Paha- 
sees, or mountain men, with droves of cattle and 
donkeys laden with rice, birds, musk, etc. We 
could distinguish these men from the farmers of the 
plains by their long sticks with sharp iron points 
which had helped them over the snow and icy 
steeps of their mountain homes. They are a vig- 
orous, wild-looking race, and seemed to regard us 
with as much curiosity as we did them. They 
would wheel around and stand still after we 
passed, apparently taking us all in before they went 
on their way. Many doubtless had never before 
seen a European, 

Before us, as we rode, were first the Sewalics, 
then the outer range of the Himalayas, and still 
beyond, over a hundred miles distant, the white 
peaks of the Snowy Range. We reached the 
Mohan Pass in the Sewalics about noon, and 
climbed up to the dak bungalow with the nice 



AMBALA TO DEHRA. 175 

basket of lunch our Saharanpur friends had pro- 
vided for us. While an attendant made our tea, 
Ella, Chat and I ran up to a high point for a view 
of the country. The others soon came after us, for 
the scene was one that could not fail to attract 
them. 

Much as we admired the beauties of nature, how- 
ever, one call was sufficient to bring us to tiffin^ or 
lunch, for our appetites were fully prepared for it. 
Tiffin over, we return to the van, but instead of 
horses twelve coolies stand ready to take us through 
the pass. Some push and some pull, and we are 
over three hours in making the eight miles which 
bring us to the other side. Now, perhaps, you 
imagine, from the use of coolies through the pass, 
that the road is rough and narrow, steep and un^ 
safe. Not at all. It is as much smoother than 
our macadamized roads at home as they are than 
an ordinary turnpike. The ascent is very gradual, 
and wherever there is a bank there is a good 
guard at the road side. 

Whether human life and strength are considered 
less valuable than beast life, or whether horses 
are so trained as to be safe only on a dead level, 
which seems to be the case, I know not, but it is 
the way adopted by the dak company. At i\iQ 



176 TBYE'S YEAR. 

summit of the pass is a long, finely-built tunnel, in 
which is the most perfect echo I ever heard. It 
repeats a short sentence with great distinctness. 
The natives on entering it always send up a prayer 
to one of their deities. 

The descent on the farther side is very short, and 
uncle gives a rupee backsheesh to the faithful 
coolies, and we are ready to take horses again. 
But before starting we have quite an adventure. 
Something stirs near where a driver is standing. 
He sees at once that it is the dreaded cobra di 
capella, or hooded snake, whose bite is almost cer- 
tain death. The men move off, but do not offer to 
kill it. Uncle and father in the mean time see 
what it is, and very cautiously succeed in killing 
it. I thought the frightened natives would be de- 
lighted at this, but they talked away in a very ex- 
cited strain, and seemed to think something terrible 
had happened. They were so angry I began to be 
more afraid of them than I had been of the snake. 

Uncle talked to them very calmly about it in 
Hindostanee. As I afterward learned, he told them 
that if anything had come of the deed he would be 
the one to suffer — that a great many cobras had 
been killed without bringing harm to any one. 
They were finally quieted enough to go on with 



AMBALA TO DEHBA. 177 

their business, but were not in a very good liumor. 
I did not understand all this till uncle told me 
that it is considered a great offence to kill a cobra. 
The natives always speak of it as " the good snake/' 
fearing to raise its anger even by speaking ill of 
it. It is worshiped by many of the people, and it 
is not strange that they should think it a crime to 
kill it when they will not take animal life of any 
kind. 

Uncle said that he ran a great risk in killing the 
snake so openly, but he feared more to have it run- 
ning at large than he did the superstition of men. 
He said that one of the missionaries, in coming 
home one day toward evening, saw what he thought 
was a riding- whip on the floor, and stooped to pick 
it up. It then gave signs of life, and he had barely 
time to escape a bite from the deadly cobra. They 
are not as numerous in this part of India as in some 
other provinces, and we do not often hear of per- 
sons being bitten by them. But enough of snakes. 

Three stages or relays of horses (unless they hap- 
pen to be mules) brought us to this lovely vale of 
Dehra Doon. It seemed a delightful rest to be 
landed here in the midst of so much beauty. We 
have been going, going, for so long a time that I 
want to stand still for a little and think over what 

12 



178 TRYE'S YEAB. 

I have seen. Dehra Doon is just a paradise, if 
there is such a thing on earth. 

On the very top of the Himalayas — that is, the 
first range of them, not the snows — are the white 
houses of Landour and Mysuri, two sister stations 
about fifteen miles away. They look like little 
patches of snow. Many English families have a 
house in Dehra, and another house in one of these 
places too, spending the cold weather here and the 
hot weather on the hills. We intend going up 
there some day to see these places and the Snowy 
Kange. 

Dehra contains two or three hundred Europeans 
and a number of East Indians who are part Euro- 
pean and part native. The native city is consid- 
ered very small in this thickly-settled land. It 
numbers about ten thousand. In the doon, or 
valley, are found wild elephants, tigers, leopards, 
deer, peacocks, pheasants and other game. But I 
shall have a chance to see more of Dehra and tell 
you about it hereafter. Now I am tired enough to 
bring my epistle to a close. 





XXIII. 

HOME-LIFE. 

HAT do you think? We are housekeep- 
ing in a nice little hothi in Dehra, and at 
home to all our friends. Come in now 
and then ; we shall be delighted to see you. 
But about the home, in earnest. It is really home- 
like, and I am becoming accustomed to our present 
mode of life, so as to enjoy it much. 

A hothi differs from a bungalow in having what 
is called a pahJca roof, cemented like the floors, and 
usually flat. But our rooms, with the exception 
of the drawing and dining-rooms, being arched, 
the roof is rather uneven. The arches look like 
the boilers of some immense machine. A part, 
however, is level and surrounded by a strong wall. 
This is a fine place in which to sit of an evening. 
The compound is a large open yard with a nice 
flower circle in front, where three varieties of roses 
and some other plants are blooming. There are 
no trees of any size. 

179 



180 TBYE'S YEAR. 

As to the domestic affairs, they are as different 
from those in America as can be. In the first 
place, we have about a dozen servants. Now, don^t 
open your eyes and say we are growing extravagant, 
living in too much style, and all that, for this is 
the only way we can get along comfortably. Chat 
says you cannot turn around here without having 
a half dozen men to turn you halfway, and as 
many more to complete the revolution. It does 
seem as if it takes a great many persons to do a 
very little here. 

In the first place, the house-servants are all men, 
except the ayah, or lady's maid, and none of them 
board in the family, unless in rare cases when they 
are Christians. It would be wrong, according to 
their religion, to eat in our houses or of what we 
had partaken. Then, again, we do not have the 
whole twelve here at once. One does his work 
perhaps in an hour, and departs. So of most of 
the others. All taken together do not do more 
than a day's w^ork, and of course are paid accord- 
ingly. 

We have a man to bring water for us, fill our 
bath-tubs, etc., and this is quite a work in itself, I 
assure you. He has an old horse, and brings the 
water in two skins prepared for the purpose. Then 



HOME-LIFE. 181 

he carries one skin over his shoulder. Another 
does the sweeping, another the cooking, another 
the washing, another the ironing, others are waiters, 
and in fact there must be a servant for ahnost 
everything to be done about a house. 

One of this little army is Pirbuch, a bigoted 
Mohammedan. I wish you could see him to-day. 
The appearance of the new moon last night brought 
Ramaz^n to an end, and to-day is a day of feasting 
called Id. They continue the rejoicing two or 
three days, and all of the haughty race whom we 
see are in holiday attire. Pirbuch has arrayed him- 
self in a new suit consisting of black pantaloons, a 
long tight-fitting coat of delicate purple-striped silk 
and a salmon-colored turban. He surveyed him- 
self with evident satisfaction. Take into consid- 
eration the high forehead, flowing gray beard and 
general lofty bearing of this patriarchal individual, 
then imagine how one feels in ordering him to shut 
a door, bring in the dinner or do some other similar 
service. 

Let me give you a specimen of our manner of 
life. We awake in the morning (that will not 
astonish you), and have our chota hazari brought 
into our room. Having disposed of the tea and 
toast, we proceed to dress. Meantime, the mehter 



182 TEYE'S YEAR, 

(sweeper) comes and sweeps all the rooms requiring 
it. Afterward our ayah dusts. Sometimes, how- 
ever, this is done by a bearer, a man-servant who 
brushes clothing, attends to the lamps, etc. At 
nine o'clock, or whatever hour mother specifies, the 
consdmd (cook) or his assistant table-servant comes 
into her presence, makes his salaam and announces, 
" Hdzari mez par " (breakfast on the table). The 
Mime Sahiba is supposed to have given her orders 
for this meal after dinner the night before 

After hazari she does the same for tiffin and 
dinner, and unless she is particularly fond of 
making cake or puddings herself — which in all 
probability she will not do so well as her eonsdmd — 
she can attend to whatever else she pleases. 

The lady of the house must frequently, some- 
times daily, take her consdmd^s hisdb, or account, 
for he goes to the bazaar and buys tea, sugar and 
whatever else is necessary in his department. 
These servants are capital ; they are very attentive, 
and do not forget easily what you tell them. If 
one sees you sweeten your tea once, he will put 
the exact amount of sugar in it ever after, if he has 
it to do. 

If you were to take tiffin with us, or any other 
meal, you would find that we have a variety of 



HOME- LIFE. 183 

good things to eat. The gardens of this fertile 
valley do not fail the whole year round. We have, 
consequently, peas every day, with other vegetables 
such as are on our tables at home in summer. 
Besides these, we have a vegetable called bunday re- 
sembling potatoes, but more solid, and richer, and 
the rice curry used so often here. A cup of Dehra 
tea with all is considered delicious by the tea- 
drinkers. 

The native bakers furnish w^heat bread which is 
sometimes good, but not always. They have their 
shops open toward the street, and at times the wind 
blows the dust that way while they are mixing the 
bread. Then they do not always have "good 
luck " in baking, as our home cooks say ; still, what 
we have is pretty good. We have three grades of 
ground wheat : dalia (pronounced dullia), or cracked 
wheat, suji, finer and hulled, and the maida or 
fine flour. 

We have milk both from the cow and buffalo ; 
it is often mixed together, and butter is made from 
the mixture. For large quantities of milk a stone 
churn with a dasher is used. The churn is always 
placed by a firm pole. A strap attached to the 
dasher is passed around it, and a man — some- 
times two men — kecD it circulating by pulling the 



184 TRYE'S YEAR. 

ends of the strap. For table use the cream is put 
in a bottle and shaken, and fresh butter made daily. 

Father has been investing in horses, and we are 
all trvino; to learn to ride — that is, those of us who 
didn't know before. Chat rides finely already, and 
has no more fear on a horse than anywhere else. 
I am always afraid he will get hurt, he will go in 
such dangerous places. Almost everybody rides 
on horseback here ; it is considered the best exer- 
cise one can have in this climate. 

The ponies are not fine Arabian steeds, by any 
means, and cost much less than those at home. My 
little black mountain nag, Akbar, cost only thirty 
dollars, and father bought another much more 
valuable horse for fifty. Of course each pony 
must have his syce or groom to take care of him, 
besides another person to cut grass for his horse- 
ship. Cousin Ella rides finely; she has practiced 
since she was quite small. 

We were out this morning early, father, Ella, 
Chat and I. I had ridden several times with 
father, and felt quite at ease in the saddle, but 
we had not gone far before we met a number of 
buffaloes. These are the real buffaloes, you know, 
not the bison or American buffalo of our Western 
prairies. I was really afraid of them, and found 



BOME-LIFE. 185 

them very much in my way, but they did not 
offer to harm us, so my mind was set at rest and 
we rode forward. Chat and Ella were ahead of 
father and me. 

They touched their ponies with the whip, and 
off they went at a furious rate, so they reached the 
waterfall which was to be our destination long be- 
fore we did. The spot is a beautiful one, where 
one of the mountain torrents leaps over a high 
precipice on its way to the Jumna. We ajighted 
from our ponies and walked about to have a good 
view. Chat climbed up the rocks at the side of 
the fall to get us some flowers which grew between 
the stones. Father would not let him go as high 
as he wished, for it was indeed dangerous. As he 
descended he came very near stepping on a scor- 
pion. There were some Brahmins about the place, 
and one had come quite near the spot to look at a 
shrub that was growing there. Seeing the scor- 
pion, he pointed to it, and it soon ran out of sight. 

" Why didn't you kill it ?" said Chat to him, 
and went on hunting for the reptile to do the mur- 
derous deed himself. Happily, the man understood 
English, and shook his head. ^^ Oh no ; I would 
never do such a thing/' said he ; " I might take the 
life of some dear friend now in this reptile." 



186 TEYE'S YEAR 

" But we live in this world only once," said 
father, "and Jesus Christ died to take away our sins, 
that we may be perfectly happy hereafter. We need 
not fear a return to this world in any other body. 
Wouldn't you like to have your sins removed ?" 

" I have bathed in the holy Ganges ; I am holy ; 
I have done many things for poon, and I shall per- 
haps be a part of the great Brahm himself, without 
having to return to the earth in the form of an 
animal." 

"But, my dear friend, all you have done, all 
you can do, will never make you fit for heaven. 
Jesus' blood alone can atone for sin." 

The man looked thoughtful and passed on to his 
companions. Father says it is just so that we must 
sow the seed and water it with prayer. We know 
not how greatly God may bless it. I did not un- 
derstand fully the man's ideas about the scorpion, 
and father explained them on the way home. He 
says the Hindoos believe in the transmigration of 
souls. I had heard that phrase before, but did not 
know what it meant. They think that when a 
person dies his soul enters some animal, or returns 
in the form of an infant to pass again through the 
stages of infancy, youth and manhood. Sometimes, 
when a child dies, the parents think it is to punish 



HOME-LIFE. 187 

them for having taken the soul of the child of 
some one else. 

If the person is virtuous in this life, and lays up 
for himself a great amount ofpoon, or merit, he will 
enter the world the next time in a higher sphere. 
If he has done wrong, he will be apt to return an 
inferior animal, or even an insect. 

Their Shasters teach that "the slayer of a Brah- 
min must enter into the body of a dog, a boar, an 
ass, a camel, a bull, a goat, a sheep, a stag, a bird, 
a low person or a demon." The Hindoos will, 
therefore, not take animal life, fearing that by so 
doing they may be guilty of killing some of their 
ancestors or friends. 

" But/' I asked, " supposing the man returns to 
earth a monkey, a dog, a scorpion or a fly, what 
then ?" 

" He then dies to return in some other form, and 
so on. If he is good, he will finally be absorbed 
in the great sleepy god Brahm. That is the height 
of their ambition." 

" What a future !" I exclaimed ; " it makes one 
tired to think of it !" 

" Yes, my daughter ; even were it true, how much 
pity would these poor people deserve from us, who 
know of ' a rest that remaineth for the people of 



188 TRYE'S YEAR. 

God/ and how much more when we think of the 
terrible future before rebellious sinners who do not 
believe in Jesus ! I think there is no sweeter 
promise in the Bible than the one to the weary 
and heavy laden : ^ I will give you rest/ Jesus 
doesn't mean merely rest in heaven, but rest now, 
every day. You will feel this more and more, I 
doubt not, as you have more knowledge of the 
world, of yourself and of your precious Saviour. 

'^ The Christian only has rest in this restless world. 
He learns how willing the Master is to bear his 
burdens, and to let him lean upon his bosom in the 
midst of the hardest toil or the bitterest sorrow. 
Do you notice the drift of all these false religions 
around us ? These people are all trying to rid them- 
selves of sin, and they think they must do it them- 
selves. See w^hat they will do, how unceasingly 
they work, to be holy. If they can but be con- 
vinced that they are wrong, and that the Saviour 
of the Christian is such as we represent, then they 
believe very quickly. 

" Now, my dear daughter, do you know how 
they can be convinced of the truths of the gospel 
when they hear them ? The Holy Spirit alone can 
show them this, and now comes an important part 
of our work. ^ God is more willing to give the 



HOME-LIFE. 189 

Holy Spirit to them that ask him than earthly- 
parents are to give good gifts to their children/ 
You know how much your mother and I love to 
give you whatever will make you happy, if it is in 
our power ; now, think, ^ God is more willing to 
give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him.' He 
wall give us his Spirit if we ask him, and he will 
give it to these people in answer to our pleading. 

" I believe that what good has been done here has 
been in answer to the prayers of God's dear children. 
There have been both the praying and the working ; 
they must go together. You have learned how the 
missionaries are working and how fervently they 
are praying. Christians in a more favored land 
than this sometimes forget that they are keeping 
souls from being saved because they are not pray- 
ing more. If they could see these poor idolaters 
trying in their own wrong way to be saved, they 
would want to do all in their power to point them 
to the ^ Lamb of God who taketh away the sin of 
the world.' " 

I enjoy these talks with father very much. He 
clears up a good many doubts for me; he knows 
that I want to be a real true, earnest Christian, and 
he helps me along wonderfully. If my trip to 
India does not improve me in any way apparent to 



190 TRYE'S YEAR. 

others, it is bringing me nearer my Saviour. I feel 
it, even though evil is so often present with me 
when I would do good. Pray for me, Argyle, that 
I may be entirely Christ's, 





XXIV. 

THE ROYAL VISITOR. 

E are having a real rainy day in Dehra, 
something entirely new in my experience 
here. This is the chota harsat^ or little 
rain, which lasts only a few days in the 
winter. Dehra is a very convenient place to live 
in, as far as the weather is concerned. The rains 
last about two months in the summer. After that 
you need not consult the clouds nor the almanac, 
for you will have clear weather for the remainder 
of the year, with the exception of these little rains. 
Not being used to all sunshine, I enjoy the dashing 
of the rain for variety. 

Yesterday we were out making calls, and I must 
confess that I feel considerably relieved to have it 
over. They have such a strange custom here 
among the Europeans. Instead of waiting for 
persons to come to see them, the new-comers have 
to go out and pay the first calls. It was for these 
that we went with uncle, aunt and Elia. Ella and 

191 



192 TBYE'S YEAR. 

I had our cards writted in the true English style, 
"Miss Mansfield" and "Miss Grafton." 

The only proper time for making calls is be- 
tween the hours of ten A. M., and three P. M., and 
so we took good care to keep within the proper 
limits. We drove up to the door, gave our cards 
to a servant, \vho took them in. He soon returned 
with his hosts' salaam, which meant a readiness to 
receive us, and we entered the house. If they do 
not wish to receive you as a calling acquaintance, 
the servant returns with darwazi band hai (door is 
shut), and you drive on. 

We were not so unfortunate as to meet with this 
kind of reception at any place, for uncle and aunt 
knew those who would receive us cordially, and 
with whom we would wish to be acquainted. Aunt 
says that when a lady is going away from the place 
for any length of time, she must go all around and 
bid her friends good-bye, and when she returns, she 
must make the same round before she may expect 
them to call on her. Perhaps it will seem strange 
to you if I say that amid all the idolatry of this 
land there is an English society here as fashion- 
able, as frivolous and as gay as that found in 
the capitals of civilized nations. Then, again, 
there are those who sympathize with the mission 



THE ROYAL VISITOR. 193 

work, and who do much for it. Some of the 
English in India are devoted Christians and de- 
lightful people. 

While I am writing of society I may as well tell 
you of the honor conferred on this lovely doon the 
other day by a visit from Prince Alfred, duke of 
Edinburgh, the queen^s sailor son. The event has 
kept the station in a commotion for more than a 
week, and has been the prominent topic of conver- 
sation. His coming to Dehra was an uncertainty 
till Saturday last. All day Sunday and Monday 
people were engaged in fitting up a house for his 
reception. Furniture, sofa-cushions, tidies, albums, 
pictures, flowers and other nice little things were 
sent in to make it pleasant and comfortable for his 
Royal Highness ; streets were swept, and things gen- 
erally put in such order as can readily be done in 
a country where men are so plentiful. 

About five o'clock on Monday afternoon he ar- 
rived. The next morning he reviewed the troops 
of the station, afterward held a levee for the gen- 
tlemen citizens, then went up to Landour to see 
the Snowy Range. In the evening he invited the 
officers of the regiment to dine with him. This 
morning he breakfasted with them, after which, 
with his suite, he set oif for Saharanpur. He is a 

13 



194 TRYE'S YEAR. 

plain-looking gentleman of twenty-five, and Chat 
thinks not more regal in his appearance than any- 
one else. Doubtless the thousands of natives who 
congregated to see the sardar were much disap- 
pointed, for they have little idea of royalty in citi- 
zen's dress. The girls from the school were out to 
see him. He bowed to them, which pleased them 
very much. One of them said to her teacher, 
'^ How meek he looks !" Another, " Our rajahs al- 
ways sit straight up and never notice anybody ; how 
gentle he seems !'' 

So much for the prince. We are all studying 
Hindostanee at home, and begin to use it to our 
servants. They are more polite than I fear I 
should be under the circumstances, for w^e do make 
some terrible blunders, and they do not laugh at us 
when it is possible to resist it. But we haven't 
made any mistakes worse than that of a missionary 
lady I heard of the other day. She wanted a 
dozen bricks for something she was doing, and told 
a servant to bring her harra unt with the air of 
one who knew what she was saying. Now, the 
word for brick is intj and that for camel is unt^ so 
you may imagine that the man looked at her in 
amazement. She repeated the order, whereupon the 
servant made his salaam and set off. He w^as gone 



THE ROYAL VISITOR. 195 

a long time to get a few bricks, and the lady won- 
dered what kept him. Finally the man came and 
brought, instead of the twelve bricks she had waited 
for so patiently, a string of twelve camels ! They 
were fastened together for marching in the usual 
way — a rope through a ring in the nostril of each 
tied to the tail of the preceding animal. We had 
a good laugh over this, and know now the difference 
between int and unt. 

Ella helps me along very much in learning the 
language. She can talk to the servants in Hin- 
dostanee as fast as in English, and knows how to 
tell me to speak certain difficult words. We play 
school quite often, Ella being the teacher and Chat 
and I scholars. Chat always makes mistakes, and 
sets us laughing before our lesson is half over, 
Ella threatens to expel him, but he goes on study- 
ing aloud, rocking backward and forward in true 
Eastern style, pretending to be so absorbed in his 
book as not to hear her. But we have a good time 
of it, and I hope we learn a little. You will see 
when I come home how much Hindostanee I can 
say to you. 




xxy. 

THE GIRLS' SCHOOL. 

EAR BROTHER : I have a better oppor- 
tunity of knowiog about the principal 
girls' school of this station than of those in 
other places, so I will describe it more fully. 
It will show you how the dear missionaries in all 
the stations labor for the boys and girls of this land. 
This particular school at Dehra is like one of which 
I wrote in Allahabad, but different in some respects 
from the majority of the schools. It is a boarding- 
school for girls whose parents have either become 
Christians or have at least forsaken their false 
gods. 

They may be qualified here to teach and to un- 
derstand the mysteries of housekeeping, of which 
their mothers are entirely ignorant. One of the 
missionaries says that some years ago it was found 
that, while many of the young men were becoming 
educated, the girls were not only unable to read, 
but were idle, knowing little or nothing of ordi- 

196 



THE GIRLS' SCHOOL. 197 

nary household duties, to say nothing of the many 
little arts of rendering home happy. There were 
orphanages, which were greatly needed and doing 
a vast amount of good, but they did not meet this 
want. A sort of normal school was needed. You 
know that only women can teach the women here, 
and an educated native Christian woman can 
accomplish more than a foreigner. 

After much thought and prayer, it was decided 
to found this Christian girls' school, where the girls 
might learn what would make them useful in any 
relation in life, not only in mental, but in domestic, 
pursuits. Above all, it was the desire of its found- 
ers to teach them the word of God, and to conse- 
crate the whole to him in humble trust that he 
would bless it in the conversion of the children. 
That was eleven years ago. The school had a 
small beginning and not a dollar in its treasury, 
but it has gone on steadily increasing in numbers 
and prosperity. Many have gone out of it who 
are showing that their teachers have not labored in 
vain. 

Parents who can afford to pay tuition are urged 
to do so ; those who can do this only in part are 
asked for the amount they can afford. Some are 
supported by persons here or at home, others by 



y 



198 TBFE'S YEAE. 

Sabbath-schools or churches at home. It is very- 
pleasant for a Sabbath-school to have charge of one 
girl in that way, to do for her and pray for her till 
she becomes a missionary. 

Every child learns to read her own language in 
the Roman character first ; meanwhile, other instruc- 
tions — object-lessons, etc. — are given both in English 
and Hindostanee. She next learns to read the Eng- 
lish, in which most of her more advanced instruc- 
tion is of necessity given. She also learns to read 
her own language in the Persian character and the 
Hindoo. 

One who took charge of this school in its in- 
fancy, Miss C. L. Beatty, has recently passed to 
her long, glorious rest. She labored constantly, 
year after year, for the good of these dear girls. 
She saw the school increase and one after another 
come out upon the Lord's side. But her strength 
was not sufficient for the increasing pressure. 
Again and again she asked for help, but the means 
were not in the treasury at home, and she must 
toil on with the few noble assistants around her. 
So she worked until compelled to return home. 
That school is a nobler monument to her memory 
than one ten times the golden value of the Taj. It 
is worth living and suffering among the heathen to 



THE GIELS' SCHOOL. 199 

have such a record as is hers, ^' and her works do 
follow her.'' 

The school-building is a fine two-story one, but 
still not large enough for the seventy or eighty 
girls in the family. There is a house building 
which will accommodate them better. E-ev. Mr. 
Herron and his wife have charge of the house, and 
Mr. Herron is principal of the school. They very 
kindly showed us through the house when we 
called there. In the centre of it, on the first floor, 
is a large room used for a chapel and assembly- 
room for the school. Around this on every side 
are rooms used for recitation-, dining- and sleeping- 
rooms for the girls. This tier of rooms, with a hall 
and staircase, makes the building a large square 
structure, on each of the four sides of which is a 
deep square verandah, added like a wing to the 
centre of each front. 

The second floor is divided in a very similar 
manner, and used for apartments for the family, the 
native assistants, the larger girls study-, dress- 
ing- and bath-rooms. The verandahs, as well as 
the house, are two stories high. The roof is made of 
cement, and flat, except in the centre, the middle 
room being higher than the others. The inner 
rooms are connected with the outside ones by 



200 TRYE'S YEAR. 

double window-doors, which have to be left open 
the greater part of the year. It is a sort of out- 
door life we live in any of the houses here. 

The verandahs have lattice- work halfway down 
from the roof, below which are hung cJiichs, or 
curtains, which can be rolled up or let down at 
pleasure. Thus by spreading down a carpet and 
lining the cMcJcs they make a cozy little parlor of one 
on the second floor, and in hot weather delightful 
sleeping-apartments of the others. 

Of all the pleasant parts of this house the large 
flat roof, with its substantial wall around it, is the 
most delightful. And such a view of such a coun- 
try as it commands ! I can give you no idea of it. 
I almost forgot where I was in the midst of such 
beauty. On the south your eye rests upon the 
Sewalics, on the north the higher ranges of " the 
hills," and between, the beautiful Doon stretching 
as far as the eye can reach. This is certainly one of 
the loveliest spots on the face of the earth. 

The compound is a large one, with its proportion 
of beautiful trees. It has one row of pines, then 
the mango, cotton tree and, among many others, the 
bamboo, in which Dehra abounds. Indeed, if I 
were asked what impressed me as the striking fea- 
tures of the station, I should say its bamboos and 



THE OIRLS' SCHOOL. 201 

its rose hedges. The former grow in clumps, and 
their long branches curve over on all sides very 
gracefully. In some places a clump planted at 
each side of the carriage-way forms an entrance to 
the compound. The effect of this giant arch, 
thirty or forty feet high, is perfectly grand. Then 
the rose hedges, perpetually blooming, you can im- 
agine, are lovely. In February they take on a new 
life, and for some months bear more flowers than 
during the hot season. After the summer rains 
they again renew themselves, but are never barren. 





xxyi. 

DERRA SCHOOLGIRLS. 

RAVING been permitted to go to the school 
many times and learn about it from the 
teachers, who are so kind as to give me the 
information, I have become very much 
interested in the subject, so you will not be sur- 
prised at my recurring to it again. The work 
of the house is so divided as to give something 
for every child over five years of age to do. The 
washing, sweeping and cooking are done by ser- 
vants, but preparing vegetables, setting tables, 
making beds, dusting, etc., are all done by the 
pupils. 

Each one tells every school-day morning what 
she has done, the native teachers reporting on the 
whole. Work is assigned to each for three months, 
and then a change is made. It sounds very amus- 
ing to hear the little ones say, "I ground the 
salt,'^ "I helped to dust,'' etc. All the smaller 
children are under older ones, who teach them; in 

202 



DEHBA SCHOOLGIRLS, 203 

fact, every branch of work has its circle of girls, 
with a reliable, experienced one at their head. I 
must tell you something of the native teachers. 

Margaret, or Aunt Margaret, as she is called, is 
such a good, sensible woman. Her husband and 
herself were both educated Christians. Her hus- 
band was something of a poet, and wrote in Hindi. 
She has such a motherly air as she walks about the 
house, always in her spotless chuddah. She under- 
derstands the Hindostanee and the Hindi, but not 
so much of the English. She spends part of her 
time as Bible-reader in the city, and bears the 
Bible truths to many who have never heard 
them before. Aunt Julia, her sister, who is also a 
widow, is engaged in the same way, and doing the 
same good work. Each has a daughter teaching 
in the school, Lizzie and Sophy. They are very 
intelligent young women and earnest Christians — 
a very great assistance in the school. 

Their programme for the day is generally the 
following : The teachers rise between five and six, 
take chota hazari, ride on horseback for an hour 
and a half or two hours — without this exercise 
they could hardly perform their many duties here — 
breakfast at eight o'clock, then worship, school at 
nine, and intermission from twelve to one. They 



204 TBYE'S YEAR. 

close the school at three, when the gh'ls are taught 
sewing for an hour. Dinner comes late in the 
afternoon, then worship. 

I suspect you think I am very minute in some 
of these details, but I always like to know all the 
little particulars when persons write to me, so I am 
doing as I would be done by. I wish I had time 
to tell you of a number of these girls : I know you 
would be interested in them ; but can only mention 
two or three. 

One has had a sad history. Her parents were 
Mehters. For some slight cause her father stabbed 
his wife, and was himself arrested and hung. There 
were two children, Gungia, four years of age, and 
her little brother, only six months. They were 
brought to the school, and Gungia would sit and 
hold the little baby and fondle him for a long 
while without wearying of him. Soon after that 
she was badly burned from her clothes catching 
fire at the grate. It was thought best to send her 
to the hospital, where she could receive the proper 
treatment. Here her love to her little brother 
showed itself. He was taken ill, brought to the 
hospital and died while she was there. 

She has learned to love her Saviour, and with 
many others is greatly endeared to the missionaries. 



BEHRA SCHOOLGIRLS. 205 

There is a gentleness and patience about this 
people which one cannot but admire. The girls 
will stand for hours, if you wish it, and chase away 
headache with the soft, gentle touch of their hands. 
It seems to be a pleasure to them. Patience is 
the peculiar virtue of the natives; they seem to 
regard our impatience very much as we do their 
lying. 

There is one bright little girl here who keeps 
the others laughing during their playtime by her 
witty speeches and perfect mimicry. She is one of 
the smallest ; in fact, she entered younger than 
pupils are usually taken. Her mother, a deaf- 
mute, brought her into the compound one day and 
communicated her desire to have the child taken 
into the school. She said that she would beg her 
own way through life, as before. Both were the 
most abject specimens of humanity you ever saw. 

The child was reluctant to come to the mission- 
aries, and when brought forward acted as if she 
were taking her life in her hand ; but while they 
talked kindly to her the fact of their being friends 
suddenly flashed across her mind, and she burst out 
into a loud roaring laugh ; the whole scene was a 
very touching one. The poor woman went away and 
left the child, who I hope will learn the true way 



206 TRYE'S YEAR. 

of life. The child was four or five years old, and 
as wild a little creature as you ever saw. 

The first operation was to bathe and reclothe 
her, when she showed how bright she was. Her 
name was Chulchul, which means a little tease or 
mischief. The poor mothers have a superstition 
that if they give a bad name to a child it is not so 
likely to die. Hence it often happens that chil- 
dren come to the mission with some such name, and 
in that case it is changed. Little Chulchul is now 
Carrie T . 



The other day, in company with her teacher, I 
visited one of the girls who is sick. She was form- 
erly one of the happiest of the whole number, but 
has now an affection of the spine. Finding that 
she had become too ill to study, her mother asked 
permission to take her home. She has a house in 
the city, where we went to see the poor girl. The 
house is made of unburned brick. It has no glass 
windows, only two or three doors, w^hich, of course, 
are left open during the day. I think there are 
three rooms, one back and two in front. There is 
little furniture besides the chdrpdis (native bed- 
steads). These always form seats for the daytime, 
and are moved about wherever one desires. There 
are also a few wicker-work stools or mords. 



BEHRA SCHOOLGIRLS. 207 

The yard is surrounded by a high mud wall, 
with a door or gate, which I suppose is kept locked 
at night. A large mango tree shades the house. 
In one corner of the yard a " toothless crone '' was 
cooking at a little mud affair for that purpose. 
She is the family-servant, and wears the dress often 
adopted, though not always, by the Mehters — 
striped cotton pants, loose above, but tight- fitting 
at the ankles, a loose sacque and a chuddah. 

We found Charlotte lying on a board with only 
a thick quilt over it and no pillow. It seemed a 
very trying position, but was according to the doc- 
tor's order. Some of her fellow-pupils had been to 
see her the day before, and she told us how much 
she enjoyed their visit. They had talked to her, 
read to her, sung to her and prayed with her, mak- 
ing her very happy. She is very cheerful in her 
suffering, and thankful for these attentions. 

There is a good deal of interest on the one great 
subject in the school at present. For months some 
of the girls have met daily, of their own accord, in 
one of the rooms, to read the Scriptures and sing 
and pray. Sometimes it is twice a day. Last Sab- 
bath one of the girls said to a teacher, " What a 
good day we have had to-day !" In the evening 
some of them were sitting out in the compound »»i 



208 TBYE'S YEAR. 

the moonlight singing the hymns they have learned, 
and some of the teachers went out and sat with 
them. 

I wish you could hear their singing ; they have a 
natural talent for it, and it is very beautiful. They 
sing all our sweetest Sunday-school hymns and 
others, so that you sometimes hear the English 
words, but oftener the Hindostanee. At this time 
they had been singing, "Blessed are the pure in 
heart ;" " We shall gather at the river ;'' " How 
sweet the name of Jesus sounds !'' and several 
others. One asked the minister if he would pray 
with them. He did so, and it was a solemn scene, 
those dear children bowing in prayer in the quiet 
evening in the bright moonlight of this Indian 
clime. 

One of the pupils of this school who became a 
teacher, has been married and called to her eternal 
rest, both within a few months. I will copy the 
account of her marriage, written by one of the 
teachers of the school : " Parma, one of our native 
teachers, was married this afternoon. Nine years 
ago she came into our school, a poor little orphan 
child, from the Mehters, or very lowest caste of so- 
ciety. Here she was educated ; here, for some time, 
she was taught, and here she found a home. Her 



DEUBA SCHOOLGIRLS. 209 

kind, affectionate manner and truly Christian spirit 
have won for her the love of her teachers and lit- 
tle pupils, as you would have been assured had you 
been here to day to witness the preparation for the 
wedding and the sad leave-taking afterward. 

"We had a holiday, of course. Early this morn- 
ing the girls commenced decorating the chapel with 
green twigs and vines, roses, jasmine, etc. Mean- 
while, Aunt Margaret and Aunt Julia were attend- 
ing to the more substantial preparations of cloth- 
ing. The bride's dress was a white muslin with a 
chuddah, which is much like a veil at home. The 
girls arranged a wreath of white natural flowers 
for her hair, and altogether our little bride presented 
a very nice appearance. The groom's long coat was 
of the purest white, also his pagriy or sort of tur- 
ban, which most natives wear. There were six 
bridesmaids, Lizzie and Sophy and four of the 
pupils, all in white. 

" They were married in the chapel, after w^hich 
all repaired to the dining-room, where refreshments 
awaited them, consisting of rice boiled with meat 
and curry, native sweetmeats and fruit. Then the 
children had a grand play under the trees, Parma 
entering into their games with as much zest as any 
of them. One of their great delights was throw- 

14 



210 TRYE'S YEAR. 

ing strings of flowers unexpectedly over the heads 
of the bride and groom. But at last the time came 
for the parties to leave, when all seemed to realize 
the separation, for with one accord they ' lifted up 
their voices and wept.' 

" Parma some time ago became a member of the 
little mission church here, and has lived a truly 
consistent Christian life. Her husband is a cate- 
chist, and they go to a new station where a native 
pastor has but recently been settled. Their work 
is to break new ground in the mission field. They 
go to a city altogether given to idolatry, and you 
will not doubt that our most earnest prayers are 
ascending to our heavenly Father that he will 
bless them and make them a blessing. It is thus 
that girls are being sent out from our school. Do 
pray for us that we may so train them that they 
will be fitted for great usefulness, and that God will 
grant his Spirit to them and us, without which all 
our labor is in vain.'' 

It was but a few months later that the sad news 
of her decease was brought to Dehra. She had 
fallen a victim to cholera, or something similar. 
Her teacher again writes : 

" I am sure you have not forgotten Parma, and 
will grieve with me over the sad news of her death. 



DEHBA SCHOOLGIRLS. 211 

She was ill but one day, and then, to use the lan- 
guage of her husband, ^ went to rest in the sweet 
bosom of her Saviour/ It is one of God's mysteri- 
ous providences. She seemed to have such a career 
of usefulness opening before her. But we know 
that he Moeth all things well/ therefore I will not 
give way to discouragement or distrust." 

I have filled more space v/ith accounts of the 
girls' school than I had intended, but I love to 
dwell upon the mission life and work. It is the 
bright spot in the vast heathen darkness. Though 
the missionaries have their trials and hardships, 
they have a joy of which the world knows noth- 
ing, and consequently are happy. The suffering is 
outside. One of the missionaries here says, " You 
have only to pass through one of pur bazaars to wit- 
ness scenes of misery, squalor, suffering and de- 
basement that would make your heart sick and 
lead you to feel that such an institution as ours is 
only one little grain of gold on a whole mountain 
of corruption.'^ 




XXVII. 

ELEPHANT HUNT AND THE BAJAH. 

HE most exciting topic of conversation just 
now in Dehra is a grand elephant hunt 
which occurred last week. It was led by a 
native rajah, but several Europeans were 
of the party. Uncle was one of these, and took 
Chat with him, much to the young man\s delight. 
He has been talking about it ever since, but uncle 
has given us a more connected account of the affair. 
The rajah took with him forty shikaris^ or hunting 
elephants; they succeeded in capturing seventeen 
wild ones, said to be worth four thousand rupees, 
or two thousand dollars, per head. 

Most of them were caught singly, but at one 
time they learned of a herd of eleven which they 
traced to a narrow valley. They stationed them- 
selves on the surrounding hills, fired into the trees 
and j ungle, so as to frighten the animals out of their 
hiding-places, from which they came, then began 

212 



THE ELEPHANT HUNT. 213 

the chase. The elephants kept in regular march- 
ing order, even though retreating. The bachas^ or 
young ones, have the central position, the weaker 
ones next and the largest, strongest fellows are on 
the outside. 

When they were overtaken, the strong ones 
"showed fight,^' as Chat says. They are taken by 
nooses attached to chains, many of which must be 
in readiness, for they are often broken. Then the 
wild animal is chained on all sides, when begins 
the work of taming. He is not allowed to sleep 
or rest. Food is often presented to him, which he 
refuses for a long time. Accepting it is the sign 
of surrender. Sometimes this is the only means 
used, but frequently his hide is scraped with a 
long pole, which is shortened day by day as he 
grows more peaceful, until at last the attendant can 
stroke him with his hands. Fifteen days is gen- 
erally sufficient for the taming. 

One of the most valuable elephants was killed by 
a wild creature that had been noosed. The end of 
the chain was fastened to the shikdriy and he was 
dragged over a precipice and had his neck broken. 
His mahout (driver) was upon his back, and went 
over with him. Every one expected to see the 
poor fellow dashed to pieces, but he came down on 



214 TRYE'S YEAR. 

the animal, and was saved. He mourned very much 
over the dead elephant. Each shikari has his ma- 
hout, who attends to him, and is with him a great 
part of the time. He not only becomes very much 
attached to him, but the elephant shows decided 
affection for his keeper. Very often an elephant 
will be perfectly obedient to the mahout, but wall 
not allow any one else to give him orders. They 
are very intelligent animals. The commissioner 
of the Doon, who was one of the party, says he has 
hunted almost all animals that are hunted except 
the American buffalo, and never found any sport 
so exciting as an elephant hunt. 

Five of the seventeen immense quadrupeds are 
about two miles from here, and we rode out yester- 
day to see them. They are fine-looking beasts, but 
they have a wild gleam in their eyes yet. Two of 
them looked really wicked, as if it would give 
them great delight to trample us under their big 
feet and then toss us out of their way with their 
long shining ivories. These two do not show any 
signs of accepting a civilized life, but the Hindoo 
baboo whom we saw there says that a few days 
only are needed to bring them to terms. The 
others are almost like those we see domesticated. 

Chat has taken quite a fancy to one young one 



THE ELEPHANT HUNT. 215 

about half grown, and the rajah told him that if 
he would stay in India this animal should be his. 
Chat could not promise this, and, should he own 
one, would be as greatly puzzled to know what to 
do with an elephant as any one else. 

He comes out to see this particular one quite 
often, and is already on such good terms with him 
that he pats the rough skin and receives a look of 
recognition in return. Father says he would make 
a capital mahout, for the elephants seem to take to 
him naturally. Chat says he would like to stay in 
India more than a year, and have his elephant, 
even if we did laugh at him. There he comes 
now; he wants me to mount my pony and ride 
over to see the elephants again, and I think 1^11 go. 

We had a splendid ride, found the elephants 
doing finely, especially " Joe," the little one. Chat 
fed him out of his hand. I was afraid to have him 
go so near, but the animal seemed perfectly harm- 
less. The others are not tame yet by any means, 
but I suppose they will be in time. We came 
home a new way. In passing a temple we heard 
some one reading, and rode up to the door to listen. 
Half a dozen priests were seated around an old 
man with flowing beard and blue spectacles who was 



216 TRYE'S YE AM. 

reading to them from some sacred book. I hope 
they were edified ; we certainly were not, for we 
couldn't understand a word. 

These Hindoos have such queer notions ! They 
must be very ingenious to make such stories as 
they tell and believe. A gentleman who was here 
last evening told us about the different ages of the 
world, according to their ideas, and of a great 
rajah who lived a very long time ago. I have 
written it down as nearly as I could recall his 
words, and will copy it for you. " They divided 
time into four grand periods called jugsJ^ Chat 
thinks they must be pretty large '^jugsJ^ 

" The first of these is the Sat~jug, or age of truth, 
the golden age, which lasted for one million seven 
hundred and twenty-eight thousand years from the 
beginning of time. Next came the Treta-jugy the 
silver age, during v/hich men began to degenerate 
from the holy and happy condition in which they 
had lived during the former period. It lasted one 
million two hundred and ninety-six thousand 
years. Next came the age of brass, or the Dwapur- 
jug, the doubtful age, which lasted eight hun- 
dred and forty-six thousand years. During this 
period man's character assumed a very doubtful as- 
pect, but it remained for the Kal-jug, the last, or 



THJE ELEPHANT HUNT. 217 

iron age, in which we live, to witness the total 
depravity of the race. This last period, which is 
said to have commenced about three thousand one 
hundred and one years before Christ, is to last four 
hundred and thirty-two thousand years, at the end 
of which time the world is to be destroyed. 

^' Add the expired period of the Kal-jug to the 
entire time of the Dwapur^ and then away beyond 
this, at some part of the silver age, we find the 
times of the good Rajah Karan* This renowned 
prince is said to have been born of a virgin. He 
sprang from her ear; hence his name (the word 
" karan '^ means ear). At his birth his mother deter- 
mined to destroy him, and with this view threw 
him into the Ganges. A holy man named Dur 
Jodin rescued him from death, had him nursed 
and afterward carefully trained with a view to the 
high office he was to fill in after life. 

" In due time he ascended the throne of Hustin- 
apur, an ancient capital on the Ganges, not far from 
Delhi. As a ruler his character did credit to his 
alleged miraculous descent, but he was chiefly dis- 
tinguished for his magnificent charities. It is said 
that he distributed daily about a hundred pounds' 
weight of gold in alms, performing, besides, many 
other works of benevolence, all on the same grand 



218 TRYE'S YEAR 

scale of princely magnificence. When this good 
rajah became old, he settled his son on the throne 
of Hustinapur, bade farewell to all his friends and 
turned his face toward Kailas, or the residence of 
the gods, in the region of eternal snow. 

" He at last settled down at the Karn-Pryag, the 
junction of the river Pindar with the Alaknanda 
among the snowy mountains. He built several 
temples, made suitable preparations for his ap- 
proaching end, and at last, ascending a rock which 
hangs over the point where the mighty Alaknanda 
like a devouring monster rushes down upon the 
feeble waters of the Pindar and apparently swal- 
lows them up at one mouthful, he threw himself 
into the stream, and, as the Hindoos say, 'found 
salvation.' " 

The natives seem to have little else to do than to 
tell and hear these stories. The women especially 
pass much time in this way, and it isn't strange 
that they have such very wTong ideas. I will try 
to take your advice, and not feel the wh'ole weight 
of the heathen world on my shoulders, but if you 
were here, I know you would feel for them as 
deeply as I do. I cannot help thinking about 
them. 




xxyiii. 

THE SIKHS. 

'EAE ARGYLE: I mentioned the Sikhs in a 
former letter; we see more of them in Dehra, 
^ and I will make them the subject of this 
epistle. They seceded from the Hindoos 
about three hundred years ago. Theirs was a pro- 
test against idolatry, but made in their own strength, 
and with none to lead them to the only true Object 
of worship. They soon relapsed into their former 
state, and were again bowing down to creatures 
which their own hands had made. They did not 
return to Hindooism, but remained a separate sect, 
having become, however, so divided and subdivided 
that it is difficult to tell what they believe. 

All agree in worshiping the Grunty a sacred book 
written by some of the founders of the sect. The 
men wear their hair long, as I told you before, and 
the women are kept behind screens like the Hin- 
doos. Eam Rai was a fakir, and the son of an in- 
fluential priest. He was sent on a certain mission 

219 



220 TRYE'S YEAR. 

by his father, which not performing, he was ex- 
communicated. Many persons rallied around him, 
and he became a leader of a large party. This 
Ram Rai resided in Dehra, hence his temple is 
here, and at this place thousands of people gather 
at an annual Sikh mela. 

We ride to the temple frequently. It was built 
more than a hundred years ago. As is often the 
case, it is also a tomb, erected to the memory of 
Ram Rai. Off from the corners of this temple 
are four lesser ones to his four wives. The Sikhs 
build much larger temples than the Hindoos or 
Mohammedans, and this is one of the finest 
pieces of architecture in the country, though 
not to be compared with one in Umritser, which 
rises out of an immense tank, and is overlaid 
with gold from the water's edge to the top of 
its dome. 

This one is square, with four minarets or spires 
at the corners and a dome in the centre. The 
former are covered with gold some distance from 
the top, and, you will readily believe, are very bril- 
liant in the sunlight. By steps you can ascend on 
every side the immense platform on which the 
temple stands, but can go no farther. Here you 
are likely to meet the mohunt, or priest, a fine- 



THE SIKHS. 221 

looking, showily-dressed maD, who will come for- 
ward and offer you cardamom seeds, this being a 
part of his religion. The whole temple is very 
beautifully painted, and has none of the disgusting 
pictures of idols or representations of transmigra- 
tion of souls so common on these buildings. The 
corner temples are much after the same style, but 
smaller and plainer. 

The Sikhs have just had their mela, which, of 
course, we went every day to see. On the " great 
day ^^ of the mela we went down through the city 
to see the raising of a pole, which is the important 
feature of the day. This pole, resembling a flag- 
staff, is said to be the abiding-place of their god, 
or, as some say, God himself. A new one is pre- 
pared yearly, covered with red cloth, raised, and 
stands till the next mela. 

Hundreds assist in raising it, but so blinded are 
they as to believe that it comes up by miracle. 
After it is raised the poor people flock around, 
each anxious to present his token of silk or worsted 
with tassels, which is tied on the pole as a decora- 
tion. Thinking it would afford a better view, father 
engaged an elephant for Chat and me to ride. I felt 
rather timid at the thought of mounting so high 
an animal, but the huge beast moved so slowly and 



222 TBYE'S YEAR. 

carefully that I forgot my fears before we had gone 
far. A carriage could hardly have gotten through 
the crowd, but our solid pony went through, and 
gave us a fine view of all that was going on. 

After leaving the pole we looked about for other 
sights. Here and there a hollow circle was formed 
in the crowd, where dancing men were perform- 
ing, usually to the music of a rude banjo. At one 
side were twelve circular swings, each having four 
cars, and each car seating four persons. These 
were kept in motion by the turning of a crank, 
and were so suspended as always to remain upright 
in performing their revolutions. 

Near the temple sat a priest reading aloud from 
the Grunt, and all who came within the sound of 
his voice were supposed to receive untold bless- 
ings. This book is kept in the temple, wrapped in 
many covers of silk, cloth, etc. When taken out 
for reading, it is laid on a small native bedstead, 
with silk pillows on each side of it. 

Here and there was a miserable fakir— one with 
finger-nails left uncut till they had become long 
hollow tubes curled around his hands, very much 
in his way. Another had held his hand up till he 
had no power to use it. The hand and arm were 
both shriveled and useless. They are disgusting 



THE SIKHS. 223 

objects. I don't see the connection between holi- 
ness and filth. 

How glad I was to see the mission tents, and to 
hear the good men telling all who would listen to 
them of the Saviour of men ! It was a relief from 
all the turmoil and excitement of the heathen fes- 
tival to hear their voices, although but few of their 
w^ords could we understand. Men and women 
stopped to listen as they passed along, then went 
their way, most of them doubtless thinking their 
own religion the best. But not all so listened. 
There was one man who stayed close to the speak- 
ers all the time we w^ere within sight of them, 
and we learned afterward that he was very anxious 
to know the true way. 

He had been well educated in a government 
school, and had read enough of the Bible to be con- 
vinced that his idolatry was all wrong. He finally 
came to the conclusion to give up his old religion 
altogether, and to be a Christian in secret. Lately 
he has seen that he cannot remain in that position. 
He will not return to his idols, and to profess to be 
a Christian would make him an outcast in the eyes 
of his wife and mother, who are bigoted Hindoos. 
He fears that, should he have to leave them in that 
way, he would lose all influence over them, and they 



224 TBYE'S YEAR. 

would be ruined. This troubles him more than the 
pain of separation, which would be great. 

When he comes home, he finds the women bow- 
ing before an idol, and his mother, who has charge 
of the domestic affairs, insists on offering some of 
the food to the idol before any of the family taste 
it. It is very hard for the man. They say there 
are many such cases ; the women are so ignorant and 
superstitious that they cling to idolatry. If they 
could be taught the true way, and have more know- 
ledge, so as to see what senseless errors are in their 
belief, caste would not long continue. There is 
work for thousands of Christian women among 
their dark sisters of India, for you know that wo- 
men alone can teach them. I asked father if he 
thought it was the duty of the man I just men- 
tioned to be baptized and leave his family, for it 
seemed to me that his duties rather conflicted. 

" Yes, decidedly," said he ; " there is only one 
path to take. Duties never conflict ; it is sometimes 
very difficult to learn which is the right, but God 
will show us if we ask him." 

" But," I said, " God has taught that a man shall 
remain with his wife, and this Hindoo knows that 
by professing Christ he will have to leave his wife ; 
he will be the cause of the separation." 



TEE SIKHS. 225 

" Let us see about that, my little lawyer ; you 
argue very well, but I think a single illustration 
will show you where you are wrong. In the first 
place, God reigns supreme. We owe certain duties 
to him and others to our fellow-beings. Which 
are the higher V^ 

" Those to God, of course." 

" Exactly ; now, when the question arises in 
regard to two apparently opposite duties, all we 
have to do is to obey the ' thus saith the Lord -, the 
other will take care of itself Think of Abraham 
being commanded to offer up his son a sacrifice. 
There stood the law, ^ Thou shalt not kill.^ Abra- 
ham would have been just as guilty as any one 
else if he had broken it, but when God com- 
manded, he hesitated not for a moment. God's 
word was above all law, and though Abraham 
could see by his obedience only the worst conse- 
quences and the destruction of the covenant God 
had made with him, he believed that God would 
order such a deed only for the best. You know 
his belief was 'counted to him for righteousness.' 
Oh how long it takes us to learn to believe our 
heavenly Father just as we believe our earthly 
parents ! One would think that would be the first 
thing, but in fact we hesitate and doubt and make 

15 



226 TBYE'S YEAR. 

all sorts of excuses before we will lean upon the 
almighty Arm and be happy by simply taking him 
at his word." 

" I see now, father/' I said ; " I believed before 
that the man ought to come out and be on the 
Lord's side, and yet that point was not clear to me. 
The law is very plain, certainly, as I now look at 
it : ^ Believe and be baptized / ' Do this in remem- 
brance of me.' " 

"Yes, and how naturally this passage follows 
the command !— 'Casting all your care upon him, for 
he careth for you.' Here we have our whole duty : 
* Follow Jesus and trust him implicitly.' I believe 
that, if w^e seek in earnest, God will show us what 
to do in every step of our upward path." 

But I will not lengthen my letter by giving you 
any more of our conversation. 





XXIX. 

STREET-PBEACHING. 

^YDEAR BROTHER: We often stop to 
hear the missionaries preach in the after- 
noons when we go out riding. I wish you 
could take wings and fly over here, so as to 
go with us this afternoon ; the change would be so 
great you would hardly know whether you had 
alighted on your own planet or one of its sisters. 
You would have the light faces of an American 
city exchanged for dark ones; the suits of black 
and gray for pure white robes (this is among the 
gentlemen : there are some who wear dark clothes 
here) ; hats for turbans ; the great mercantile houses 
for little shops ten or twelve feet square having 
their floors covered with muslins, prints, cloths or 
other articles, the merchants seated in Oriental 
fashion in the midst of their wares. This is the 
world in which we are now living. 

The usual place where we go to hear the preach- 
ing is before the boys' school-building, the veran- 
dah of which is the spot the minister selects. This 

227 



+ 



228 TRYE'S YEAR. 

institution, which is principally for Mohammedan 
and heathen boys, has been in existence several years 
and is very flourishing. The teachers are all Chris- 
tians, and the pupils are obliged to attend a service 
there every Sabbath. Rev. Mr. Herron taught a 
class there fourteen years ago, nearly all of the 
members of which are men holding good places in 
the government service. He has recently gathered 
some of them into a Bible class — Mohammedans, 
Hindoos and a member of the Brahma Somaj. 

I may as well tell you here what that last term 
means, for I suppose if I don't you will ask me in 
your next letter, no matter whether you know or 
not. Father says they are little better than deists. 
Their leader is Keshub Chunder Sen, a learned 
Hindoo who has given up idolatry and the rites of 
his old faith, and takes what he thinks the best of 
other creeds. It is Christianity without Christ, if 
such a thing could be. 

Father thinks it is the same belief we meet with 
at home under different names. The idea that, if 
we try to do our best, God will save us, rejecting 
the truths that our hearts are " deceitful above all 
things, and desperately wicked,'' and that " there is 
none other name under heaven given among men 
whereby we must be saved" but the name of Jesus. 



STREET-PBEACHING. 229 

A great many of the Hindoos believe their re- 
ligion to be wrong, and are ready for a better creed 
as soon as the opinions of their people will allow 
them to change without becoming outcasts. This 
new faith comes to many of them as just the thing. 
Ours asks them to give up all for Jesus ; they are not 
ready to do that, so they try in this way to serve God 
and mammon. Some of the good people here fear 
much harm will come from this new element, it con- 
tains so much that is good, and is so near the truth 
as to be taken for it by very many. Others think 
that it will be a stepping-stone to true Christianity. 

Father talked to us a long time about it last even- 
ing, trying to explain to Chat and me the diifer- 
ence between morality and religion. He said that 
we were condemned criminals, every soul of us, for 
" all have sinned and come short of the glory of 
God." The punishment for any one of our sins is 
eternal death. God has provided only one way of 
pardon, and if we do not accept that way, we are 
still unpardoned. 

To talk of being saved by being honest and up- 
right and moral is as if a criminal should say while 
in the prison awaiting his execution, "I think I 
shall not be hung, because I have been honest and 
done the best I could while here in prison." We 



230 TBYE'S YEAR. 

cannot say as much as that, for we do not do the 
best we can until we obey the command, ^^ Believe 
on the Lord Jesus Christ f' then alone comes the 
sweet promise, "And thou shalt be saved.'' 

But to return to the preaching. Yesterday we 
found a large crowd collected at the preaching- 
place, and such a motley set as I could hardly de- 
scribe. These audiences are most variable. Some- 
times but half a dozen are gathered, again a crowd, 
and the people are continually changing. You, of 
course, will not think of a studied sermon in con- 
nection with this preaching. 

The missionary takes his seat, stops some man 
who is passing — perhaps a traveler — asks him of 
his business, where he is going, etc. Then having 
entered into conversation, the great subject is in- 
troduced. Others stop to hear, and a crowd is col- 
lected. This is one way. It requires much tact 
to devise necessary means for gathering and hold- 
ing an audience, much wisdom and divine assist- 
ance to make an impression on these dull, 
hardened hearts. Sometimes small boys are 
among the most interested listeners. It is won- 
derful how early they become acquainted with the 
arguments for their own religion. Yesterday the 
minister said, in answer to an objection, "The 



STREET-PREACHING. 231 

Shasters are false." A little Hindoo boy called 
out, "^ NahiUy sahib ; Shasters sach hai.'^ (^^ No, sahib; 
the Shasters are true.'') A man asked the sahib to 
tell something untrue that was in them. He took 
up the story they contain of the situation of the 
earth on the horns of a cow, which stands on a 
turtle that rests on a snake. At this a man asked 
hoAV earthquakes were caused, if not by the tossing 
of the earth from one horn to the other when the 
cow became tired. 

The missionary went over the proofs of the 
spherical form of the earth, which quite satisfied the 
child, who had learned geography enough to appre- 
ciate them. He was convinced that in one respect 
at least the Shasters were false. Uncle says we 
could nowhere find minds with finer powers for 
reasoning than in India ; consequently, the mission- 
aries have to be thoroughly prepared to meet them 
in argument. Chat said he couldn't see why they 
believed such ridiculous things if they had such 
good minds. 

"What do you think we would believe," said 
uncle, " if we had never heard of the Bible, and 
had been taught error all our liv€s ?" 

'* I suppose we should be wrong, of course," Chat 
said, ^' but I think our common sense would teach 



232 TRYE'S YEAR 

US that the world didn't rest on the horns of a 
cow." 

" I don't know ; I very much doubt our ability 
to rise above the notions of the Hindoos if we had 
had their training. We have had examples of men 
rising to the very highest point to which human 
wisdom could lift them, and they have always 
fallen far short of the elevation of the humblest 
Christian. Men left to themselves are always 
shackled with prejudice and superstition and vice; 
it is the glorious gospel alone which sets them free. 
The gods of the heathen are always supposed to 
exact from their followers what causes them pain 
and often crime.'' 

" Did the Thugs think they were doing right in 
killing persons ?" 

"Yes; that was a part of their religion. They 
were followers of the bloody goddess Kali, who is 
represented with a necklace of human skulls.'' 

" Did they kill everybody they could ? and are 
there any of them living now ?" I asked. 

" The government has finally exterminated them, 
I believe, but it took years to do it. To answer 
your first question, I will tell you something about 
them. They are also called Phansiagars, the word 
meaning a strangler. They always strangled their 



STBEET-PBEACHING. 233 

victims with a phansi or noose, and worked in 
gangs varying in number from a dozen to sixty or 
seventy/^ 

" What caste did they belong to ?'' Chat asked. 

" They were composed of men of all castes, yet 
worked together in this horrible business. They 
w^ere regularly organized and instructed. All they 
did was done with the utmost secresy, so that a 
man's friend, or brother even, might be a Thug, and 
he not know it.'' 

"The whole band could not have w^orked to- 
gether, then,'' said Chat, " or they would have been 
found out?" 

" No ; they divided into small parties and scat- 
tered themselves through the country. One man's 
part would be to decoy a traveler to some unfre- 
quented place, or to detain a man where he was till 
another, lurking near, could reach the proper place 
to throw the noose over the head of the unsuspect- 
ing person. The man could utter no cry, and was 
a corpse in a very short time. One or two others 
would be near to dig a grave, gash the body and 
hide it from view. Each gang had its jemandar or 
leader, its guru or teacher, its sothas or entrappers, 
its bhuttotes or stranglers, and its lughaees or grave- 
diggers." 



234 TBYE'S YEAR. 

"Did they murder women and little children 
too ?'^ I asked. 

" Not the children ; these they kept and trained 
to their own horrid trade. Their own children 
were Thugs, as a matter of course, for you know 
that among these Eastern nations a man always 
follows the business of his father, whatever it may 
be. They began early and gradually to accustom 
their sons to scenes of blood, and when they were 
sufficiently hardened let them witness the whole 
transaction." 

" I am so glad there are none of these terrible 
men around now/' I said, " for I should be afraid 
every time I stirred out of the house. I expect to 
dream about them to-night, as it is." 

But I have written quite enough on this subject. 
I hope to have a more cheerful topic for my next. 





XXX. 

NOBILITY IN TENTS. 

"^OW delightful our drives and rides are now 
that April is here ! The lovely Doon is 
more magnificent than ever. It is spring 
with us; the birds are more musical, the 
fruit trees are covered with blossoms and the air 
is laden with perfume. I have been interested 
in noticing the progress of the vegetable world. 
The bamboo and a few other trees have their leaves 
tinged with yellow and brown, from the slight 
frosts of December and January. One kind of 
tree is totally bare, others are just putting forth 
their leaves, others, as the willow, are farther ad- 
vanced, the mulberry still more, but all showing 
the delicate green of tender spring foliage. Then 
there is the mango, with its heavy, dark, rich green 
mantle, and the pine, so that really every season 
is represented. 

Of fruits we have the plantain, or banana, and 

235 



236 TBYE'S YEAR. 

papita the whole year round. They bud, blossom 
and bear fruit continually. The papita is a most 
singular-looking fruit. It grows just underneath 
the foliage in a circle around the trunk of tree 
fifteen or twenty feet high. It is near the size of 
a musk-melon, and resembles it in color and rind. 
It has a great number of black seeds, but is not 
nearly as pleasant to the taste as our melons. The 
loquots are ripe just now. They grow on a large 
tree, resemble a large yellow egg-plum and have 
two or three immense seeds lying close together. 
Their taste is a pleasant acid. 

In July or August the mango arrives at perfec- 
tion in this latitude. Few varieties of fruit have 
as much flavor as the same in other countries. 
Apples and grapes look very tempting, but are in- 
sipid. Pears, peaches and other home fruits have 
little more than the name and appearance of the 
same elsewhere. Pine apples and many tropical 
fruits are equally inferior; even the plantains are 
not equal to those from the West Indies. You 
must remember that we are in the far north of 
India, and not apply all that I write about Dehra 
to the whole of this great land. 

In this beautiful spring-time Dehra has again 
had distinguished visitors. Sir William Muir, 



NOBILITY IN TENTS. 237 

family and suite have been here on a march from 
Allahabad. I mentioned in a former letter that 
Sir William is governor of the north-west prov- 
inces. Notice was given to the citizens that Lady 
Muir would have a reception on Saturday last from 
ten to three. We would not have done our duty 
nor have satisfied our curiosity if we had not gone, 
so we went, and had the honor of being presented to 
her ladyship. They are warm friends of the mis- 
sionaries, which made me like them all the more. 
After the reception the governor and his lady 
visited the girls' school, and seemed much pleased 
with it. The girls sang for them, " God save the 
queen," in Hindostanee. 

Those who called upon them on reception-day 
were invited to their tents a few days afterward. 
We were asked to breakfast. Their great camp 
was a novel sight, I assure you. Its hundred tents, 
its cattle, horses, camels and elephants, made me 
think of Bible times, when people dwelt in tents 
and counted their riches by flocks and herds. 
Probably, Lady Muir's moire-antique and point 
lace did not correspond with anything Sarah or Re- 
becca ever wore ; probably the tents were fitted up 
a little more handsomely than those of Abraham ; 
but however that may bet, we were made perfectly 



288 TRYE'S YEAE. 

at ease by the true courtesy of our noble host and 
hostess. 

The station returned the hospitality of the tented 
party by giving a picnic for them. It was held in 
one of the wild, romantic spots so numerous in this 
vicinity, on the banks of what is usually a stream, 
but is now dry. The lack of water was supplied 
by an artificial waterfall made for the day from the 
canal above. The company was scattered over the 
high banks, seated on rocks. Below, in the bed of 
the stream, the cloth was spread and covered with 
all sorts of good things for eating. Servants," mean- 
while, almost as numerous as the guests, are climb- 
ing up and down the rocks with plates and glasses 
to serve the party. 

It is the custom of the country, when one is in- 
vited to dinner, or to any gathering where service 
is needed, to take his khitmatgar (body-servant) 
with him. These servants usually appear all in 
white — pantaloons, long coat, girdle and turban. I 
assure you they look very neat. Sir William's ser- 
vants wore a scarlet livery. You can imagine what 
a picturesque appearance it gave the scene to have 
the red and the white uniforms going up and down 
the banks and to and fro among the guests. It only 
needed some in blue to complete our national colors. 



NOBILITY IN TENTS. 239 

After the picnic was over the company assem- 
bled at the officers' mess-house. There the grounds 
were beautifully lighted with Chinese lanterns. 
The band was playing without, and we had some 
very sweet music within. Here adieux were made 
to the Muir party, and the next morning they left 
the station. 

The waters of the stream where the picnic was 
held are considered very sacred. Thousands go 
there every year, at the time of the Dehra mela, to 
bathe. What they did this year I do not know, 
for the stream was dry. Whether they felt that 
they were going away with the burden of sin still 
upon them, or whether the dust from the bed, which 
they sometimes used, was considered sufficient to 
cleanse their souls, I cannot tell. There are many 
caves in these banks to which pilgrims come. In 
one of these, by the constant falling of lime-water 
drop by drop, a stone is formed which the natives 
think very holy. The offerings to it in puja 
make it very dark. Steps have been cut in the 
rock up to it, and the floor is made smooth. Much 
labor and money must have been expended for this 
purpose. 

In another of these caves one of the missionaries 
once found some men with a poor sick boy. They 



240 TRYE'S YEAR. 

had come a great distance to bring the child, be- 
lieving that he would find health in this sacred 
spot. They had been waiting there a long time, 
but he grew no better. The minister and his 
friend showed them how foolish they were in ex- 
pecting help from that source. They told them of 
the great Physician and the plan of salvation. The 
men w^ere so far convinced of their folly as to leave 
the cave afc once. Whether further good ever came 
of it, we know not. Mother says it is like much 
of our work in life for others' good. We must be 
content to keep dropping seed sometimes, without 
seeing even the little sprout. But we leave all in 
good care. The dear heavenly Father knows every 
effort made for him, and can bring about the results 
which will be to his own glory. 





XXXI. 

GOING UP HILL. 

|EAR ARGYLE : Uncle's family and ours 
expected to have been settled at Landour 
for the summer by this time, but have been 
delayed, and shall still remain here for a 
week or more. Last Friday, however, I went 
there with uncle, aunt and Ella, and returned the 
next day. It was a most delightful trip. We were 
off at three o'clock in the afternoon ; went in a car- 
riage to Rajpore at the foot of the mountain, and 
six miles from Dehra. There is a broad, beautiful 
road all the way to this place, lined with mango, 
sisum and other trees. And here one of the most 
striking illusions of nature is experienced. Riding 
in the face of the mountain you imagine yourself 
making a gradual descent, when the fact is, on 
reaching Rajpore, you are far above Dehra. Even 
the water in the canal which supplies our station 
with that element seems to be running up hill, in 
spite of the law to the contrary. 

16 241 



242 TRYE'S YEAR. 

At Rajpore a jhanpan and coolies were engaged 
for aunt, ahe not being able to endure so long a 
ride on horseback. The others of us had our 
ponies, which were waiting for us at Rajpore. The 
jhanpan and dandy form the only alternative to 
horseback riding on the hills, as the roads are too 
narrow and steep for carriages. The first is very 
like a child's carriage, with comfortable seats and a 
close top, which can be taken off if desired. It has 
two shafts at each end, and requires at least four 
coolies to carry it. 

The dandy is a sort of hammock affair, made of 
native carpeting and attached to a bamboo pole. 
A very comfortable seat is formed, and it requires 
but two coolies for an ordinary person. Many pre- 
fer them to the jh an pans. 

At Rajpore we mount for a ride of eight miles. 
Our narrow road takes us first through the Rajpore 
bazaar, now a zigzag course along the unprotected 
mountain side, making sudden turns where, should 
the horse shy, you would be plunged down, down, 
down ; then again we go directly up through steep 
and formidable ascents. Every few minutes we 
are- coming out in full sight of the Doon, each time 
"with a more extended view, till we are able quite 
to overlook the Swalics, which bound it on the 








The Jhanpan. 



p. 242. 



GOING UP HILL. 243 

south, and to stretch our vision away down over 
the plain. 

We reach Mysurie after a ride of five miles. A 
long native bazaar forms the connecting link be- 
tween it and Landour. I can give you little idea 
of the effect of the houses scattered over the moun- 
tain sides and perched on top of the many peaks 
that meet our view. Occasionally you see one where 
the owner has been aspiring, and the turrets and 
walls give a very castle-like appearance to his 
home. 

It was dark before we reached Landour, and the 
bright lights dotted all over the hillsides were very 
beautiful. I thought of Longfellow^s " Excelsior " 
as we pressed on, for uncle's house is on the north 
side of one of the very highest peaks of this outer 
range. Long before our arrival there we felt our- 
selves in a colder climate, and had put on the warm 
wraps provided ; but not until we were in the snug 
little parlor, with the closed doors and bright fire, 
did we realize how different it was from the Doon. 
We were thankful for such good servants as those 
who attended so well to our wants there, for we 
needed the pleasant little fire and the good warm 
supper they gave us. 

The night reminded me of one of those cold^ 



244 TRYE'S YEAR. 

freezing ones at home when you have the misfor- 
tune, in visiting a friend, to be put in the cold spare- 
room. I have seldom suffered more. There had 
been rain, which had increased the cold, and our 
systems were entirely unprepared for the change. 
The next morning, however, was lovely. We went 
on Lai Tiba (seven thousand five hundred feet 
high), just back of the summit on which the house 
stands, and looked first over Landour, Mysurie 
and the Doon, then turned northward to the 
snows. 

The English shops, the club-house, the library, 
the hotels, the telegraph wires and the churches 
tell you that you are not out of the world in Lan- 
dour, even though the way there leads you through 
wild and difficult places. Here are fine, level roads, 
protected by solid walls, winding around the hills. 
One is called the Mall. Here is the Sanitarium, 
where invalid soldiers are brought to recruit. 

Casting our eyes again southward, we see the 
Doon, about fourteen miles in width. There is 
Dehra in the midst of its beauties. From it you 
can trace the road to Saharanpur as far as the pass 
in the Swalics. At the left is the Jumna, at the 
right the Ganges, or Gunga, but they are distant. 
Perhaps they could be seen in the most favorable 



GOINO UP HILL. 245 

state of the atmosphere, but to us they were not 
visible. 

But let us turn to the north. It is eighty miles 
in a bee-line from us to the nearest point of the 
Snowy Range, which bounds the horizon. Between, 
lies, not a valley, as I had supposed, but peak after 
peak of these grand old Himalayas rise like mighty 
billows of a sea solidified. The deep shadows in 
the snows surprised me. When the sun shines 
upon them, they are perfectly dazzling, but in the^ 
shade you would be astonished to notice their dark 
appearance. The deep ravines that separate the 
peaks are almost black. 

These peaks all have names, but I cannot re- 
member many of them. One has a name which 
means "Monkey's Head,'' another, "Monkey's 
Tail." One sharp point rising against the sky is 
called Tent Peak, and the points from which the 
Hindoos believe the Ganges and Jumna receive their 
waters direct from heaven are called respectively 
Gangootra and Jumnootra. The extent of moun- 
tain is said to be as great on the north of the snows 
as on the south, giving them a breadth of one hun- 
dred and sixty miles. A valley very similar to the 
Doon lies on the north side. 

Uncle told us many of his adventures among the 



246 TRYE'S YEAR. 

snows which were full of interest. He says there 
are Hindoo temples at various points among these 
mountains. One of them, situated at Badrinath, 
made me think of Mt. St. Bernard and its monks. 
It is in a very cold place, and the priests come out 
in the sunshine all wrapped up to keep themselves 
at all comfortable. 

Many men make pilgrimages to these temples, 
traveling over snow and ice, with the idea that they 
will be the better and holier for it. We saw a num- 
ber of them this morning who had just come from 
the snows. It seems very strange to stand here and 
see the Doon in all the verdure of a tropical sum- 
mer, and on the other side snow and ice and winter. 
I have received a practical lesson on a grand scale 
of what I learned in school. I know the fact that 
as we ascend above the earth the air becomes cooler, 
but it is a never-ceasing wonder to me. 

On Saturday afternoon, as we returned, we stopped 
at the shops to make a few purchases, for at this 
time such establishments are moved up hill, and we 
in Dehra must go there for what we need in their 
line. These '^ hills'^ are a great comfort to the 
missionaries. Some of them are there every sum- 
mer who might otherwise have to return home to 
recruit their health. 




XXXII. 

THE BAINS. 

' Y DEAR BROTHER : I write again from 
Dehra, for we are not yet settled in Lan- 
doiir. The rains are really upon us, and 
for two months we may expect but little 
else. I love to watch the clouds around the tops 
of the great Himalayas, sometimes settling down 
heavy and dark, again light and scattered, as if they 
were caught in the trees. It is pleasanter to us 
just now than to those at Landour and Mysurie,who 
are living literally in cloud-land. The distinctness 
with which the mountains come out after a shower 
is wonderful ; they seem to be just upon us. 

I feel it a daily privilege to live in sight of these 
" everlasting hills." They afford a constant lesson 
on the infinite power of God. The weather is not 
very uncomfortable now, and with the aid of the 
punhas we get along very well. These punkas are 
a great comfort ; they are large fans which are kept 
going to and fro over our heads by means of a cord 

247 



248 TBYE'S YEAR. 

attached to them. A servant sits in the room, or 
sometimes in another room, and keeps the ma- 
chinery in motion by pulling the cord back 
and forth. As I have told you, these natives are 
very patient, and this is good business for them. 

It rains two or three hours every day on an 
average, and is cloudy most of the time. The snn 
beams upon us occasionally, however, giving us an 
opportunity to dry musty clothes. But I must tell 
you about the animal world, as the whole country 
now swarms with animal life. It is the reign of 
scorpions, lizards, white ants, centipedes and cobras. 
It isn't safe to run your hand down in your trunk 
or bureau drawer out of sight, but you must take 
up each article carefully and unfold it or shake it 
out. You will be very apt to shake out something 
that will run off at a rapid rate. Then the white 
ants do not improve the flavor of tea or soup when 
they drop from the ceiling over the table. 

These ants are very curious little fellows. They 
are really ants, you know — not the termites of Af- 
rica, which sometimes are called by the same name. 
They always work under cover, and make most 
beautiful little archways of earth cemented by a 
slimy secretion from their bodies. Under these the 
work of devastation goes on, but, what is more v/on- 



THE RAINS. 249 

derful, they will throw out a perfect little tubular 
bridge from the wall to a piece of furniture within 
four or five inches of it, through which they can 
pass. One frequently sees large cones, in travel- 
ing, which mark the place of old stumps that they 
have first covered with earth, then eaten, and some- 
times turned them into their dwellings. 

When they get into your trunks, the first inti- 
mation you have of their presence is generally in 
finding articles near the top very damp. As you 
go down you come to the creatures themselves and 
their work. If they have been there two or three 
days you will find such a riddling as will defy all 
efforts at mending. At the beginning of the rains 
great numbers of them, but not all, take to them- 
selves wings. Those so favored have grown very 
large, and thereafter do no harm save to annoy you 
for a few nights by getting into the light, breaking 
off and scattering their wings in all directions. 
After this they seem as well contented to crawl 
about on their feet as if they had never known a 
higher sphere. It is said that, like the bee, they 
have a queen ; if she be killed, their work is hin- 
dered. 

They are sometimes carried by vessels to distant 
ports, where, from their rapid increase, they are con- 



250 TETE'S YEAR 

sidered far from a desirable importation. We have 
our trunks set on bricks^ which is some protection 
against the ants^ but watchfulness is necessary. 
Ella and I were startled a day or two ago by the 
effect of the work of these little pests. I went to 
the washstand in our room to wash my hands, and 
had just raised the pitcher to pour out some water, 
jarring the stand as I did so, when down came the 
stand very much in the style of the "one-hoss 
shay," though all parts had not given out. The 
ants ran in every direction, and the wreck was a 
curiosity. I am going to bring some of the pieces 
home with me, just to show you. We had placed 
the washstand too near the wall, so the little fel- 
lows got into it and ate the inner parts of the legs 
until they were mere shells. They looked perfectly 
solid, but were so thin that the slightest pressure 
broke them. 

I am sure that nobody but a Hindoo could prac- 
tice the Hindoo religion, for there are so many in- 
sects of all kinds and descriptions that I am con- 
stantly trying to kill them. A Hindoo has the 
patience to bear with them, and treat them very 
civilly too. Many of them would not kill a mos- 
quito for anything. 

But let me turn to something more enjoyable in 



THE BAINS. 251 

the line of North iDdian productions. Our straw- 
berry season is just over. For two months they were 
on our table daily. Now we have the mangoes, which 
are considered the most luscious fruit in India. 
The ordinary variety is near the size and shape of 
a turkey's egg. It has a green rind and a large 
white stone covered with a long white fibre. The 
children delight in drying these, combing out the 
fibre and playing they are sheep. The pulp is of 
the consistency and color of good rich butter. The 
trees grow very plentifully ; groves of them may be 
seen in every direction. The dense evergreen 
foliage forms a grateful shade for weary travelers. 
The Bombay mango grows on a small tree, but the 
fruit is larger and richer than it is here. The stone 
has no fibre. It is cultivated and flourishes in many 
parts of India. I wish we could bring a mango 

grove to America. The fruit is delicious, according 
to my taste. 




XXXIII. 

TO THE BOON AND BACK. 
CTOBER finds us in Landour. Our rains 




are over. The air is cooler and purer. The 
country is bright and fresh and beautiful. 
We have spent a comfortable summer up 
here above the great heat of the plains, and even of 
the Doon, sheltered though it is from the hot winds 
by the friendly Swalics. JSFow we are thinking of 
making the descent. Uncle and aunt had to go 
down to Dehra last week, and took Ella and me 
with them for the change. 

In returning, we started before five o'clock in the 
morning. This was rather early to rise, but we had 
to do it to arrive before the hot day came on. After 
our chota hazari we were off, and reached Raj pore 
about daylight. We passed through the bazaar in 
time to see the bunyas taking down the boards from 
the fronts of their little shops. The women were 
grinding at the mills. These mills consist of two 
cheese-shaped stones with a handle from the upper 
one, doubtless such as were used in Bible times. 

252 




Hindoo Women Grinding at the Mill. 



p. 252. 



TO THE BOON AND BACK. 253 

They were preparing meal for the day's use. Then 
there were combing of hair, bathing and sundry 
other duties which are interesting to watch in a na- 
tive city. One man was saying his prayers over a 
rosary, but with face turned outward, so he missed 
nothing that was to be seen in the bazaar. 

When uncle, Ella and I had reached the half- 
way house between Rajpore and our destination, we 
stopped to wait for aunt, who had not yet come in 
sight. As she did not arrive, I began to fear that 
she had been tipped over into one of the ravines, 
but finally she made her appearance. She had had 
a very annoying experience. She started with eight 
men, for whom she had paid at the hotel, but on 
reaching the head of the bazaar found that four of 
them had run away. As the jhanpanees would not 
carry her, she was obliged to walk back to the 
hotel, a good mile, for more men. 

As a rule, the servants of India are models : I 
often wish we could have some of them at home ; 
but the coolies are a rare exception. They have no 
principle, and travelers in the hills are quite at 
their mercy, so they can be independent. The pro- 
prietor said to aunt when she returned, " What can 
I do ? If I thrash them all round as they deserve, 
I shall be fined fifty rupees. If I cut their pay, 



254 TBYE'S YEAR. 

I shall not be able to get another coolie/' If he 
had complained to the superintendent of the Doon, 
doubtless it would have cost him so much time and 
trouble that he would lose all he gained, so one 
couldn't blame him very much. Those persons 
living in the hills often keep their own jhanpanees, 
paying them by the month, and are saved this an- 
noyance. 

The way up the mountain begins to seem fa- 
miliar to me, but it is all too grand ever to appear 
common. The flowers in bloom remind me of 
home. Lady-slippers, four o'clocks, morning-glo- 
ries and dahlias are growing in wild profusion. 
The summit of Lai Tiba is a perfect garden of 
wild dahlias of many varieties. I can never con- 
vey to your mind the picture w^e have constantly 
spread before us now. These mountains are so 
high, the ravines so deep and the prospect so ex- 
tended that it is painfully grand. For days after 
I first came here some part of the view would rise 
before me whenever my eyes were closed. Often 
have I been wakened out of sleep by falling over 
an imaginary precipice, but I am more accustomed 
to the grandeur now. 

It gives one a strange sensation to find in this 
place the dress and fashion of a European capital. 



TO THE BOON AND BACK. 255 

In shopping here one finds all sorts of beautiful 
and costly dress goods to suit the taste of the gay 
Briton. Here many who have been in " the ser- 
vice/' or have accumulated wealth in the heat of 
the plains, retire to spend the remainder of their 
days in ease and enjoyment. Landour has four 
Episcopal churches, and a union service is held for 
dissenters. Here too are heard the chimes of con- 
vent bells, showing that Rome has also placed her 
standard among these distant snows. 

In coming down to Dehra this time we saw a 
tiger, which was quite an adventure. Chat was de- 
termined to have a good look at him, and I ex- 
pected every minute to see him come out of the 
jungle and pounce upon the daring boy. I could 
only see the glaring eyes of the tiger and his beau- 
tiful skin in one glance, then got myself as far 
away as possible. His lordship did not act as if 
he cared to harm us, for he went in the opposite 
direction. I never feel quite at ease in traveling 
about here, on account of the wild animals and 
snakes. I suppose I should get used to having 
them in the country if I lived here long enough. 
Perhaps I could then laugh at timid persons, as my 
friends here do at me. 

It was in this same trip that we saw some snake- 



256 TRYE'S YEAR. 

charmers. It was wonderful how tliey would take 
the cobras in their hands, wind them about their 
arms and do anything they wished with them. You 
know I never liked these reptiles, so I didn't enjoy 
the fun nearly as much as Chat did. These East- 
ern jugglers and charmers surpass anything you 
ever saw. I am not surprised now to see them do 
almost anything. 

My next letter will be from Dehra, as we expect 
to move down in a few days. 





XXXIV. 

THE PABIAH. 

'EAR BROTHER : We are so soon to leave 
Dehra that we have not taken a house 
again, but are staying at uncle's, which 
Ella and I enjoy very much. One after- 
noon, not long ago, uncle came into the house lead- 
ing a Hindoo who seemed hardly able to stand 
alone. He was a Brahmin, and an intelligent-look- 
ing man. 

Aunt was astonished when uncle said he would 
like to have a bed provided for the man, and some 
nourishing food. You know the Brahmins will 
not touch food prepared by any one but a Brahmin, 
and w^ould lie on the ground rather than rest on a 
Christian's bed. This man, however, seemed to be 
very grateful for all that was done for him, and 
when he was made comfortable, uncle explained 
the matter to us. 

The man was dangerously ill, and when it was 
thought that he could not recover, his friends took 

him down by the Ganges to die. They stayed with 
17 257 



258 TRYE'S YEAR. 

him for a while, but found that he got no worse. 
Then a priest was going to stop his mouth and nos- 
trils with mud from the holy river to put an end 
to his life, but the man refused to have it done. 

He was evidently better, and there was a possi- 
bility that he would recover. This was a fact 
much more sad to his friends than if he had died, 
for when one returns to life and health after being 
brought to the Ganges to die, he is a pariah or out- 
cast for ever. His dearest friends cast him off, and 
will have nothing to do with him. So with the 
signs of returning health in this man his friends 
all forsook him, and lie was left alone near the 
horrible burning-ghat Avithout strength to leave the 
rough bier on which he had been placed. 

As soon as he could he crawled away to a tree 
not far distant, and got a little food from some Meh- 
ters who passed by. He had lost his caste by not 
dying when his friends thought he ought to have 
died — that is, Gunga would not receive his spirit 
when brought to her — so he might as well eat from 
the hand of a low caste Mehter as from a Brahmin. 
Besides, he had now plenty of time for thought, and 
he could see how hard and stern and comfortless 
was his religion. 

He had heard the padre tell of One who died 



THE PARIAH. 259 

that man might live, and who did this all for the love 
he bore us. He had once stopped a few minutes to 
hear this new creed, and passed haughtily on. He 
had thought himself holy already, with no need of 
a sin-forgiving Saviour. But now he was spurned 
by man and spurned by the great Gunga, where 
should he turn for help ? The words of the padre 
came to his mind, and he thought them over till he 
wished to know more of that new religion. He 
wished that some one would tell him how to find 
that wonderful Saviour — -just such a one as he 
needed. 

As his strength came, little by little, he made 
his way farther and farther from the river till he 
reached Dehra. Uncle found him in a shady spot 
not far out of the city, and began a conversation 
with him. He soon learned his history, and talked 
to him of the blessed Jesus who would receive him 
when all others despised him. The man listened 
intently. 

" Is all this true, sahib ?" he said. 

" All true, and more than this ; let me read you 
some verses from the word of God: 'Plim that 
Cometh unto me I will in nowise cast out ;' ' The 
blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from 
all sin/ *The Spirit and the Bride say, Come. 



260 TBYE'S YEAR. 

And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him 
that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him 
take the water of life freely !' " 

Uncle explained to him that this Saviour would 
satisfy all the longings of our thirsty souls. He 
asked him if his religion had done that. 

" No, no, sahib ; this is what I want : ' Whoso- 
ever will.' This must be what I want, but I 
thought your belief was a very bad one. I must 
read your little book." 

Uncle told him that he should have one of his 
own, and was glad to have him read it. He seems 
much better already, and is fascinated with the 
" little book." He has long talks with father and 
uncle, who think that he is already a Christian and 
will be a noble follower of the Master. He told 
us about his wife, of whom he seems very fond. 
He had allowed a Christian lady to teach her, for 
he wanted her to know as much as the other women 
of the house. This gave him a hope that she would 
be a Christian, or at least that she would not now 
regard him as an outcast. 

Uncle wrote to the teacher about it, and we were 
all rejoiced to hear that the woman had become a 
Christian soon after her husband left her. Upon 
hearing this the man was overjoyed. He sent word 



THE PARIAH. 261 

to his wife that if she would leave home to live 
with him, he would be ready to take her away on 
a certain night. The wife, delighted to know of 
his health and his change of faith, was only too 
glad to leave the home where she was despised by 
almost all as the wife of an outcast. They came 
directly here with their little boy, and a happier 
family you could not well imagine. She is a sweet, 
gentle girl of sixteen, and the boy a manly little 
fellow of a year and a half. 

The man is well educated, and is determined to 
study theology, so as to preach the gospel he had 
before despised. For the present they live in a 
little mud house, and he has obtained work enough 
among the Europeans to support him. The Hin- 
doos would not have him do the least thing for 
them, as he is a pariah. Uncle says that there is a 
city made up of these poor outcasts and their de- 
scendants. It seems that a number of Gunga's wor- 
shipers have mistaken the time in coming to her. 
It makes me sad every time I think of the fol- 
lowers of such a god. 

But I must close, and thankful am I that I can 
say " adieu." It is a sweet thought to be able to 
commit our dear ones "to God '^ — to the ever-liv- 
ing God who never slumbers nor sleeps. 




XXXY. 

SABATHU. 

I Y DEAR BROTHER: Take out your large 
map again and see where we are now. We 
have left Dehra, that spot more beautiful 
than any other I have seen or ever expect 
to see in this world. Ella came with us. Her 
parents are to meet her at Ambala when we re- 
turn from our tour in the Punjaub. Then we 
shall have to bid them farewell. We sent our bag- 
gage on to Ambala ahead of us, and from that point 
are now making our sallies. I am not sure that I 
have used that word quite right, but will let it 
stand. Chat came in a few minutes ago, and to 
tease me took up my letter and read off a string of 
nonsense that isn't here at all in a very oratorical 
style. He caught sight of that word, and said I 
had seen more than he had, for he hadn't met one 
Sally yet in all his travels in India. I believe he 
grows worse instead of better, for sometimes he does 
tease me unmercifully. This is a digression. 

Mother and I wanted to try the dholi-dah mode 

262 







The Dholi, or Palankeen. 



p. 263. 



SABATHU. 263 

of traveling from Dehra to Saharanpur, so we all 
came in that way. First, the little man who con- 
tracts for the journey is called. He comes into the 
parlor, puts his hands together as natives do in 
receiving a favor, makes his salaam and is ready 
for orders. His book is taken, and an order writ- 
ten in it for a dale of the required number of men. 
This allows six men to each of us as bearers. They 
are to be paid four annas (twelve cents) each for a 
stage of eight miles. An extra coolie is required 
for torch-bearer, and a responsible one is sent to see 
that the others do their duty. As there are five 
stages between Dehra and Saharanpur, it takes 
thirty men to convey each of us that distance, a 
fresh set awaiting us at each station, besides the 
torch-bearer and overseer. The dholi (or palki, as 
it is called in some parts of India) is a box just 
long enough for a person to stretch out in, and is 
carried on the shoulders of the coolies. 

We pay for the oil and establish ourselves as 
"two-anna travelers,^' which is told from one set 
of men to another, and we have little trouble. At 
the end of each stage father is waited on for hach- 
sJieesh by the departing coolies, and through the pass 
he is begged for extra men to scream and throw 
stones at the tiger. The tiger does not seem to 



264 TBYE'S YEAR. 

move him, and as our dholies are raised again, we 
lie down and go to sleep. This is about the most 
comfortable mode of journeying I ever tried. The 
bed is nicely made, the swing of the vehicle puts 
you to sleep and you get over forty miles in a night 
with very little fatigue. 

It was a two days' journey from Ambala here, 
but we all enjoyed it. We took dak-gharries (or 
post-coaches) such as we traveled in last year. The 
ride of thirty miles to Kalka, at the foot of the 
hills, was an uninteresting one, there being but 
little variety in the plains, as this level country is 
termed. The horses were rather better kept than is 
usual for dak horses, and were more disposed to 
start at the proper time. 

Chat said that he didn't have half the fun he ex- 
pected, for the horses did not back nor kick nor 
plunge about half as much as in our other dak ride. 
Only once was it necessary to burn wisps of straw 
under their noses, and but once to throw a rope 
around their bodies and pull them forward. To 
the others of us, however, the ride was much more 
agreeable for the improvement. 

We saw little else than sand for many miles. 
This was relieved by the kikkar (^Acacia Arabica, 
or gum arable tree), which grows very plentifully 



SABATHU. 265 

in these parts. It is a very crooked tree, but the 
foliage is very delicate. It consists of small light- 
green leaves. The wood makes beautiful furniture. 
The grain is marked by very pretty contrasts of 
light and dark. You know, of course, about the 
gum, and, on the whole, must pronounce it a very 
useful tree. 

At one place, Avhile changing horses, one of our 
drivers spread down his blanket and said his 
prayers. Father, seeing him so devout, afterward 
began to talk to him about the Christian religion. 
He told a strange story which, mother says, shows 
us one of the ways the father of lies takes to close 
men's hearts against the truths of the Bible. He 
said, ^' A Padre Sahib and a Mohammedan had a 
discussion as to whose religion w^as the true one. 
It was agreed to put a Bible and a Koran into the 
fire, and the book which remained unburned was 
to be acknowledged by both parties as the one 
teaching the true faith. The Koran came out 
without being scorched, and the Padre Sahib be- 
came a Mohammedan." The poor driver seemed 
really to believe this, and to think it .an argument 
which could not be answered. 

We reached Kalka near nine P. M. As we 
neared the hills the kikkars gave place to pines 



266 TEYE'S YEAR. 

and species of tall, coarse cactus, very plentiful in 
these mountains. We engaged a suite of rooms 
(that sounds very grand, but they were extremely 
plain apartments) at Mrs. McBarney's hotel. It 
did not take us long to unpack, spread out our 
bedding on the native bedsteads, have our supper 
and retire to sweet slumbers. 

We were all too tired and sleepy even to wonder 
what kind of a place we were in. The next 
morning, though, we were ready to look around us. 
We took a walk, and found Kalka very much like 
any other native town. After getting permission, 
we strolled into a private garden which was rather 
pretty. It is made in terraces, as the whole city is, 
on the hillside. Kipe oranges were hanging from 
the trees, plantains growing, and other tropical 
fruits. But what pleased me most was the bunches 
of chrysanthemums. They seemed like home, and 
made me almost homesick. 

We returned to the hotel for a breakfast of beef- 
steak and Jcitchery, bread and butter of course in- 
eluded. Have I mentioned kitchery before? I 
rather think not. It is a dish made of rice boiled 
with a kind of oily grain called dhalj spices, etc., 
and is very much used by Europeans in this 
country. It is one of the native dishes modified 



SABATHU. 267 

to suit the European taste. We find several such 
in use here. Rice is really the staff of life. 

But to proceed on our way. After having the 
usual amount of delay and bustle attending the 
strapping of bedding and starting our cavalcade, it 
was ten o'clock before we were on our way up the 
mountain. We left the carriage road, and had to 
confine ourselves to ponies, dholies and dandies. 
As you will imagine, it took a small army of 
coolies for ourselves and our luggage. Distances 
are recorded here more by marches than miles. 
Two marches are generally a day's travel ; that is 
the distance from Kalka to Sabathu. 

We engaged three ponies and two Bareilly 
dandies. Father and Chat rode, while Ella and I 
rode the third pony and occupied the dandy alter- 
nately. Mother preferred a dandy for the whole 
way. She is not as fond of horseback-riding as 
the rest of us. A dandy is very much like a ham- 
mock with a pole at each end which is placed on 
the shoulders of men. It is intended for lying 
down. The Bareilly dandy is a variety of this 
article, and is a very comfortable affair. It has an 
oval, boat-shaped frame of bamboo with long han- 
dles or poles at each end. There are cross pieces at 
the ends of the poles which rest on the shoulders 



268 TRYE'S YEAR. 

of the bearers. The seat is of carpet or bedding, 
and takes its shape as you are raised from the 
ground. 

For nearly five hours we were winding up the 
sides of the mountain, making a hundred turns, 
now around this peak, then around that, till at 
three o'clock we reached Kasowli, the end of our 
first march. We had planned to be here in the 
middle of the day for several reasons. One was 
the fact that, being much higher than Sabathu, the 
w^eather is much cooler, and we would have felt 
the change from the plains had we remained over- 
night. It was five o'clock when we again took to 
our ponies and dandies, and four hours more 
brought us to Sabathu. 

In the morning we had been glad to have every 
protection from the sun we could get. We all have 
solar topis or hats made of pith, which we could 
hardly dispense with in this climate. Mine is cov- 
ered with light alpaca and lined with green. In 
addition to these, leaves and parasols were used, 
but on leaving Kasowli I was glad to make a hood 
of my breakfast shawl, so much cooler was it in 
that place. Warmly wrapped up as we were, this 
last march in the clear moonlight was very delight- 
ful. The greater part of the way was descending^ 



SABATHU. 269 

but a long hill had to be mounted to bring us up 
to Sabathu. 

It is not possible for me to describe this lovely 
place, so different from any I have before seen. 
Imagine a large valley surrounded by high moun- 
tains, then a high, beautiful hill at one side of this 
valley. On such a hill is Sabathu. Father calls 
this a vast amphitheatre. Whatever way we turn 
the mountains rise before us, with deep ravines 
intervening. Three or four steps from our veran- 
dah bring us to the brow of the hill, where a false 
step would send one rolling down a thousand feet, 
if not stopped by one of the two or three roads 
which wind around the hill. One takes in so 
much at a single glance that the eye and mind are 
wearied by the eifort. 

You can count forty native villages on the moun- 
tain sides. Lying in full view is the territory of 
a native rajah, with his palace and a small city 
about it. The cultivated fields shelved out on the 
mountain side are most beautiful. But the whole 
scene is so grand I can give you no idea of it. 
Two marches from here is Simla, a large and im- 
portant place, which is visible, lying, as it appears 
to us, nearly under the peaks of snow. The gov- 
ernment officials leave Calcutta for this place every 



270 TBYE'S YEAR. 

summer, and find a delightful change from the 
heat of the plains. 

Our good missionaries are at work in Sabathu, 
and though, as elsewhere, it seems a slow work, they 
are doubtless doing more than they realize for the 
Master. Two of tlie large boys of one of the mis- 
sion schools have a little school of their own which 
the missionaries oversee. We went one day to this 
school, and where do you think we found it? On 
the roof of a little mud house. Ella and I both 
laughed at first — we couldn't help it — to see the 
little fellows sitting on mats moving backward and 
forward, studying away like good boys. The 
teachers had chairs and a table. Mother says that 
many of them will never forget these lessons, and 
she does not doubt that some will make mission- 
aries when they are grown. 

But my letter is becoming long, and I must close. 





XXXYI. 

LOniANA. 

NOTHER new place — Lodiana. We are 
seeing so much that I can give you only a 
Q^^ glimpse of it as we pass along. I wish 
you were here with us, then you would 
have the whole, and your big head could hold it 
better than mine. Lodiana is seventy miles from 
Ambala by rail — a ride of three hours. We re- 
turned to the latter place from Sabathu, starting 
again from there early one morning. There is lit- 
tle of interest on the way. You would expect the 
Punjaub — that is, the country of the five rivers — to 
be well watered, but the soil is so light that it soon 
returns to powder after the rains. Now all vege- 
tation without long roots is brown and parched, 
except where the land is watered artificially. 

We go through a strip of the Patila district, over 
which is a native rajah. Parts of this district are 
cultivated, but much of it is a jungle of tall yel- 
low grass so well represented by the pictures at 

271 



272 TRYE'S YEAR. 

home that I was constantly looking for the wild 
beasts to put their heads out. We pass through 
several native citias, each containing a fortified se^-ai, 
or inn. These were built at convenient distances 
from each other by the old Moguls to accommodate 
them in their marches. We stop at four of these 
citieSj and arrive at Lodiana at nine o'clock. 

The desert of Sahara could hardly be more bar- 
ren than Lodiana without cultivation. This same 
tall jungle grass seems to be all that grows sponta- 
neously. Hard, beautiful roads have been made of 
a kind of limestone called kunkar. Fine large 
trees line each side of these road«, making delight- 
ful avenues for walking or driving. The mission 
compound itself seems a little oasis in the desert. 
It is not green, like Dehra, or our own America, 
but has pleasant shaded roads and a goodly num- 
ber of trees. These keep fresh because their roots 
strike deep enough to find moisture for their nour- 
ishment. I heard a minister use this fact for an 
illustration of Christians, and it seemed to me very 
beautiful. They can be happy although their 
earthly comforts all be taken away, for they have a 
Source of joy which can never fail. 

The garden contains a grove of mango trees 
which makes a sheltered place for walking or sit- 



LODIANA. 273 

ting, and the whole settlement has a social, home- 
like appearance. Four nice little kothis are occu- 
pied by the missionaries. There is a neat little 
church, besides a printing-house and book deposi- 
tory. Outside the compound is a native Christian 
settlement, the people of which are mostly con- 
nected with the press. 

One of the ladies of the mission is engaged much 
of the time in zenana work. Among the families 
she is now^ teaching is an exiled royal family from 
Cabul. Part of them are very anxious to learn the 
truth, and one wishes to be baptized. Another 
family is that of a Persian doctor, where she is 
very warmly welcomed. Wherever she goes she 
finds women begging to have her teach them, and 
only wishes she could do it all. One of the mis- 
sionaries said that ^* mission work, wherever you 
go, seems like attempting to level a great moun- 
tain with one little spade. But with God all things 
are possible." 

This is the point where the missions of the Pres- 
byterian Church in India began. That was in 1833. 
The first missionaries were Rev. Messrs. William 
Reed and J. C. Lowrie and their wives, but Mr. 
LowTie was the only one of the party who reached 
this place. Two years later. Rev. Messrs. James 

18 



274 TEYE'S YEAR, 

Wilson and John Newton arrived, and now the 
work was fairly begun. The latter has ever since 
been laboring in India, and is now stationed at La- 
hore. AYlio can estimate the good he has done? 
Persons speak of soldiers being brave when they 
go into battle without flinching, and I think they 
must be so, but surely no greater heroes could 
there be than these men and women who then 
left their homes to live among the heathen. They 
had the first and hardest of the work to do, the 
beginning. 

They were in much danger also. Even at a 
later date the country was so unsettled that the 
missionaries were requested not to begin to preach 
at once to the people at Lahore, lest it should be 
the cause of disturbance, and Europeans were not 
allowed to live out of certain limits, because, if 
they did, they could not be sufficiently protected by 
the military or the police. 

Think of the little band so far from home amons: 
the millions of idolaters ! It had taken them six 
months to come here, and only after another six 
months could their friends learn of their arrival. 
They could not hear what was going on at home 
until half a year afterward. Yet they do not re- 
gret coming, not one of them. It was all done for 



LODIANA. 275 

Jesus, and he has said, " There is no man that hath 
left house, or brethren, or sister, or father, or mother, 
or wife, or children, or lands, for my sake and the 
gospel's, but he shall receive an hundred fold ; now 
in this timej houses and brethren, and sisters, and 
mother, and children, and lands with persecutions ; 
and in the world to come, eternal life." Now we 
can come here in a few weeks and hear from friends 
every week. Persons can go all the way around 
the world in less than three months, so no one need 
dread the long distances between them and the 
heathen as they did formerly. 

Lodiana is also the place where the "world's 
week of prayer" originated. The ministers who 
met here a few years ago asked the Christians of 
the whole world to pray together the first week of 
every year, and they do it. In many languages, 
from millions of hearts, ascend the petitions of 
God's people, and God hears them. We should 
hardly have expected that from the little Christian 
band in the heart of this idolatrous land this re- 
quest should have come, and yet it is not strange ; 
they are men of prayer and feel its power. I am 
sure that God only can make these people believe 
the truth. Mother quotes very often the text, 
" God is more v/illing to give the Holy Spirit to 



276 TRYE'S YEAR. 

them that ask him than earthly parents are to give 
good gifts to their children ;" this makes me think 
more about the asking than I am afraid I otherwise 
should do. 

We visited the little mission cemetery of Lodiana, 
where have been placed the mortal part of several 
dear ones of the mission circle who have gone 
to the upper Church. Here is the grave of 
the Rev. Dr. Levi Janvier, whose life was so noble 
and useful, and whose death so sudden and so 
sad. He is the only one of the missionaries of 
our Board in India, except the victims of the 
mutiny, who has been intentionally killed by the 
people. One other — the Rev. Isidor Loewenthal, 
of Peshawar, in the far North-west, a man eminent 
for learning — in the same year came to his death by 
violence at the hands of his own watchman, who 
mistook him in the night for a robber. 

In Dr. Lowrie's " Manual of Missions " is this 
short account of the terrible death by which Dr. 
Janvier "entered into his rest'': "He met his 
death on the 24th of March, 1864, at a mela, 
whither he had gone to preach and distribute tracts. 
The meeting was closing, and the brethren, having 
partaken of the Lord's Supper, were preparing to 
separate on the morrow. In the evening. Dr. Jan- 



LODIANA. 277 

vier was met by a fanatical Akali Sikh, and felled 
to the ground with a club. The murderer fled, 
but was overtaken and secured. He was afterward 
tried in a criminal court, found guilty and hanged. 
His victim languished, speechless and insensible, 
till morning, when his spirit took its flight.'^ 





XXXVII. 

LAHORE. 

E have now arrived at the old capital of the 
Punjaub. There is very little to interest 
one on the way from Lodiana, yet we are 
always seeing something new in this 
strange land. The new iron bridge over the 
Sutlej, a few miles this side of Lodiana, deserves a 
passing notice. It is more than a mile in length, 
and was five or six years in building. When 
nearly completed according to the original plan, 
the river had so changed its channel as to make 
the addition of several new spans necessary. 

The country itself is sand, sand, sand, and barren 
enough except where it is irrigated. As you ap- 
proach Lahore the fransj a kind of tree that grows 
with very little moisture, and old tombs and temples, 
in different states of preservation, relieve the mo- 
notony of the desert plain. The trees decrease, while 
the old buildings increase, its desolation. You would 
at first mistake the tombs for temples. They are 

278 



LAHORE. 279 

SO spacious often as to be fitted up for dwellings, 
offices, etc. One of our missionaries lived in one 
at Lahore for a time. 

Coming nearer the city, signs of life appear, and 
ere you reach the station you observe not only the 
change wrought by cultivation, but are surprised 
at the stirring, business-like air about you. The 
extensive manufacture of cars and railroad iron is 
the= principal cause of this appearance of enterprise. 

The depot would be an ornament to any city in 
America. It is some five hundred feet long, built 
of brick, and can be converted into a fortress at 
short notice. Father pointed out to us the turrets, 
port-holes, etc., which would be very useful in time 
of war. The mission property is only a few 
hundred yards from it, and the dwellers there 
would be glad of such defence in case of another 
mutiny. 

The station and settlement about are called ]^au- 
lakha, usually spelled Nowlucka by the English, 
which indicates its pronunciation. The house is 
still standing w^hich was formerly occupied by a 
rich native said to possess nau Idkhs (nine hundred 
thousand) of rupees, from which the name is de- 
rived. Two railroads unite and end at Lahore — 
viz., the Punjaub and Delhi coming in from the 



280 TBYE'S YEAR. 

east, and a short one running south to Mooltaa 
which connects with the Indus valley road. 

South and south-west from the station are twenty 
acres of land owned by the American mission ; tea 
of these are under cultivation. There are three 
comfortable houses for the missionaries, a nice little 
church and the best built houses for native Chris- 
tians in the mission, except occasionally one owned 
by its occupants. Like nearly every house in La- 
hore, they are built of bricks quarried from the 
compounds. The city has in this way risen from 
the ruins of the Lahore of past centuries to be still 
a centre of power in the Punjaub. 

Father and Chat are much interested in the dig- 
ging and building going on about us. They say 
that the men first find small broken pieces of brick 
called rordy but digging deeper, they come to brick 
very well preserved. Chat has just been telling us a 
story which I was inclined to doubt, but father says 
he saw it all himself. They are repairing one of 
the mission houses, and while unearthing bricks for 
it the workmen found an old well containing sev- 
eral skeletons. How I wish I knew their history ! 
It is sad enough, no doubt — a tale of Mogul 
cruelty; perhaps some old Bluebeard has made this 
disposition of his wives. 



LAHORE. 281 

Half a mile west of the station is Lahore proper, 
with its moat, its massive walls and ponderous 
gates. The principal gates are the Delhi (or Dehli, 
as the word should be spelled) and Lohari, or 
Blacksmith's. The government or municipal com- 
mittee have had gardens laid out more than three- 
quarters of the distance around the city. There is 
a very fine drive through these which we did not 
fail to enjoy. It is indeed refreshing, after riding 
through the barren plains of this country, to be set 
down in the pleasant compound of Americans, and 
to find these gardens of beauty open to us. 

We rode out about three miles on the Amritsir 
road to the garden of Halinise, said to have been laid 
out under the direction of Akbar the Great. It is 
very large, and has double rows of fountains set in 
a sort of canals which cross at right angles near the 
middle of the garden. It contains summer-houses 
of white marble, a bathing-house with one apart- 
ment after another, the walls gayly ornamented, 
and two houses for Europeans. There is also an 
inclined plane formed of blocks of marble beauti- 
fully carved with deep semi-circular indentations, 
over which the water falls, making beautiful ripples 
thereby. Then there are tropical fruit trees, man- 
goes, oranges, etc., flowers, and a profusion of roses. 



282 TBYE'S YEAR, 

It has been kept in good repair, though of course 
much of its original beauty is lost. 

A mile and a half south-west of the station is 
Andrkali, mostly occupied by Europeans. Here 
also are very fine gardens. The name signifies a 
pomegranate flower, and was given to this place in 
honor of Anarkali, the favorite wife of Rangut 
Singh. A mile south of the depot is the govern- 
ment house, and four or five miles south-east are 
the military cantonments of Meanmeer. All these 
and much more are included in the district of La- 
hore. The palace and tomb of Rangut Singh are 
within the city walls. 

Father is gathering all the information he can 
get about the education of the young Lahorians. 
He says that the American mission has a fine boys' 
school and nineteen branch schools which instruct 
fifteen hundred pupils. 

The church mission medical college has a new 
building in progress, of semi-Oriental architecture, 
which is to cost one and a half lacs (one hundred and 
fifty thousand) of rupees. There are also the high 
school for Europeans, the government college, gov- 
ernment boys' school, male and female normal 
school (native). Christian girls' school, boarding 
and day school for European girls, English school, 



LAHORE. 283 

under native auspices, supported in part by the 
rajah of Cashmere, and the Oriental university for 
the purpose of studying Oriental languages and lit- 
erature. 

One would think that the people might all be 
learned in Lahore, yet the missionaries tell us that 
there is a great deal of teaching necessary besides 
what is done in these schools. Some ladies go into 
the zenanas and teach there ; some have a class of 
women who come to their house and learn to read 
and sew; others gather children from heathen 
families and teach them, or have them taught by 
native teachers. 

At four of the gates are chapels, in each of which 
religious services are held twice a week. We at- 
tended one held at the chapel outside the Delhi 
gate, and wish you could have been there with us. 
We were on hand very early, so as to miss no part 
of the service. One of the missionaries arrived on 
the ground at the same time with ourselves, and 
after greeting us sat down outside of the chapel. 
Some boys were talking when we came, and stopped 
to look at us. The minister asked one a question, 
and soon got into conversation with them. Then 
a man who was passing stopped to see what was 
going on. The minister was asking what the great 



284 TRYE'S YEAR 

god which stood in a temple near could do. One 
of the boys answered with great warmth that he 
could do everything. 

" Can he make you well when you are sick ?'' the 
minister asked. 

" Oh yes," the man answered^ confidently. 

" I know a man who is very sick ; will his god 
heal him if I ask him ?" 

" He will if we take him a very, very large oifer- 
ing ; if we don't pay him enough, or if he isn't in a 
good humor, he won't listen to us : we have to be 
very careful what we do to him." 

" But I wouldn't worship a god who gets in a 
bad humor, and who asks so much for what he does. 
He cannot be very kind to those who serve him, to 
treat them so." 

Several others were around the steps by this time, 
and one called out, "He's very holy, sahib; he 
does wonders." 

" I can tell you of a God who loves his followers, 
who loves you and wants you to serve him. You 
can ask him for what you wish, and he will give it 
to you if it is best for you to have it. He treats 
his children just as you would treat yours. If 
your son asks you for something good, you give it 
him if you can, but suppose he wants something 



LABORE. 285 

that would do him harm ? You keep it from him 
because you love him too well to have him injured. 
It is just so when we ask anything of God. He 
knows what is best for us, and will give it if we 
ask for it, but he withholds what would injure 
us.'' 

The speaker then went on to tell of the great 
gift of a Saviour, and drew more to hear him. By 
this time the chapel was lighted, and he asked them 
inside to listen further to his teaching. We waited 
to see them go in, and were about to enter ourselves 
when we noticed a woman who had stood at a little 
distance, yet within hearing of the minister's voice, 
standing there still and weeping. Ella, who could 
talk to her in her own tongue more readily than 
any of the others, went to her in her winning way 
and asked what was the matter. 

" I come here every time the sahib comes," she 
said, "and I believe in his God. The dear Jesus 
who died on the tree loves me — I know he 
does — but all of our large family pray to an idol ; 
that is why I weep." 

"But God hears you when you pray," mother 
said ; " you can pray for them, and you can tell them 
of the dear Jesus who gave his life for them." 

"Ah, yes ! I do pray every day and every night 



286 TBYE'S YEAR. 

that they may love the true God, but when I say 
anything about him, they treat me badly and say 
that I am no better than a foreigner. I don't care 
for this if they would only be saved." 

Mother talked to her several minutes in the way 
she has of comforting everybody who needs com- 
fort. I was surprised to hear mother talk so flu- 
ently in Hindostanee. The woman looked up grate- 
fully at her, and was evidently much better for the 
help and sympathy. We asked her to go into the 
chapel, but she said she must go home. Mother 
would not let her go until she had told her where 
she lived, so that one of the ladies of the station 
could see her and talk with her. 

The chapel was nearly filled by this time, and 
the minister was listened to attentively. Men came 
out and others went in, but many remained until 
the close of the meeting. There are two other 
preaching places besides these chapels, where service 
is held once a week. On Sabbath the ministers 
each preach tv/ice, once in English and once in Hin- 
dostanee. 

They tell us that it is warmer here in summer 
than at Dehra, and cooler in winter. The mission 
has a sanitarium at Dharmsdla in the hills above 
here. This is a necessity, for the missionaries 



LAHORE. 287 

could not endure the climate year after year with- 
out the change. 

We young folks wanted to go to Dharmsala 
very much, but father said we should have to leave 
that out of our tour for want of time. We have left 
a great many places out — or, it would be better to 
say that we have seen only a very few spots of this 
immense country. But I am sure that I have 
learned very much in this year. I hope my letters 
have shown you that I have added to my very 
little stock of knowledge by coming to this far-oflF 
land. 

I have tried to give you a hint of what I have 
received, yet there are so many new thoughts, new 
ways of thinking, new pictures, that I cannot find 
words for them. This great heathen nation op- 
presses me; the millions on millions who know 
not my precious Saviour, and who die without 
hearing of him, fill me with sadness. If the Chris- 
tians of America could see this densely-peopled 
land even in such a glimpse as I have had of it, 
it seems to me that they would come in a body like 
the Crusaders, who left their homes for a less 
worthy object, and teach this people the way of 
life. I want to return here to do it w^hen my 
school-days are over. As I think of Jesus on the 



288 TRYE'S YEAB. 

cross, he seems to say to me the words which led 
Count Ziiiderdorf to him : ^' This I did for thee ; 
what doest thou for me ?" 

It is wonderful how much good the few mission- 
aries have done here ; mother would say that it is 
not strange, for God is on their side. It is the 
bright side of the picture, which is certainly bright 
enough to encourage any one to work here. 





XXXVIII. 

ITINERATING. 

E are enjoying our stay at Lahore very 
much, especially our intercourse with the 
missionaries. Since my last letter was 
sent we have been out on an " itineration ^' 
with one of the goqd padres and his wife. They 
kindly allowed our whole family to form part of 
the company, and we all had a good time. Chat 
decided that if he ever became a missionary, he 
would like the itinerating part best. I should like 
it for a change, but not for steady employment, I 
am sure. 

After making inquiries about a station called 
Chunga Munga, about forty miles distant on the 
Mooltan Railroad, the minister decided to go there, 
though his information about the place had been 
rather limited. 

We learned that there were a city and villages 
not very remote from the station, and a canal bun- 
galow somewhere in its vicinity of which we could 

19 289 



290 TRYE'S YEAR. 

probably gefc possession. - On the strength of this, 
we took the evening train a week ago last Friday 
for Chiingii Munga, having with us bedding, table 
furniture and stores to last a week. 

Arriving about ten o'clock, we learned that there 
were two bungalows a mile and a half distant, one 
belonging to the canal, the other to the Forest De- 
partment; the former was unoccupied, and we were 
quite free to take up our abode there. You must 
know, in the first place, that the government has 
taken possePjsion of immense tracts of forest, and be- 
sides, as in the Punjaub, has planted many hundred 
square miles of land in trees. These tracts are 
divided iPxto sections, and give rise to a class of 
very desirable civil offices. In this almost rainless 
district tlie land must be irrigated. This is accom- 
plished by a perfect network of canals, which are 
fed from one of the Punjaub (five rivers). 

The bungalows I mentioned are for the accom- 
modation of superintendents and sub-officers in 
their regular rounds of inspection. Our first plan, 
on arriving at Chunga Munga, was to spread out 
our beds at the station and go in search of the bun- 
galow in the morning, but on afterthought we con- 
cluded to send coolies and servants ahead with lug- 
gage while we followed leisurely behind. 



ITINERATING. 291 

The fresh smell from the forest was most delight- 
ful after snuffing the dust of Lahore, aud the bright 
moonlight revealed to us a view equally pleasing 
to the eye. Reaching the compound, large and 
well stocked with trees, we found a comfortable 
house of seven rooms, large and small, all on the 
ground floor, furnished with tables, chairs, charpais 
and matting for the floors. 

After supper, which the consaman (cook) prepared 
for us, and spreading out our beds, we made the 
most of the remnant of night left, and awoke deem- 
ing ourselves almost in a little paradise. As a 
specimen of Anglo-Indian hospitality, I should tell 
you that there were two gentlemen of the Forest De- 
partment at the station when we arrived, one just 
leaving on the up-train, who regretted exceedingly 
that they could not have known of our coming, so 
as to have had dinner awaiting us, etc. The one 
who remained sent his servant to show us the way, 
had his horse saddled for the missionary, called 
twice, and in other ways manifested his good feeling. 

We found that the city Chunia was seven miles 
distant; our reverend friend intended riding over 
to it on a tour of inspection with reference to a 
longer itineration, but we learned that there was a 
dak bungalow or something of the kind there for 



292 TBYE'S YEAR. 

the accommodation of Europeans, and, as he had 
brought quite as much work in the way of writing 
and accounts as he was equal to in his spare mo- 
ments, he decided to confine his operations to points 
nearer at hand. He thinks it much better to 
preach regularly for a week or two in one place, 
taking up Bible truths in an orderly manner, than 
to go about from place to place, as is often done. 

There is a village of about three hundred inhab- 
itants some two miles from the bungalow. Thither 
we went on Saturday, the chokidar (watchman) of 
the compound accompanying us to show us the 
way. Arriving at the village, the chokidar in- 
formed the people that the minister was a padre 
sahib, that the padres were holy men among the 
Christians whom the people worshiped. The mis- 
sionary at once corrected this impression by telling 
them that they were only rah daklanewalas (literally, 
showers of the way ; guides). 

The simple-minded people listened with great 
attention to him. On the Sabbath he was not well 
and did not go out, but on every succeeding day while 
we remained went and preached to them. The in- 
terest seemed to increase rather than diminish to 
the last. 

The walk from our bungalow was a pleasant one, 



ITINERATING. 293 

for some distance following a road in the jungle, 
then along the bank of a canal, finally over broad, 
open fields of grain to the village. Entering, we 
came at once upon a sort of open place where the 
people congregated. This was surrounded by 
houses and shops, all of mud. I saw nothing sold 
but flour of different kinds and red peppers, that I 
remember, though from the numbers of buffaloes 
and cows which were continually traversing this 
little dirty square, raising a stifling dust, I conclude 
that milk forms a large part of the diet of the natives. 

On seeing us come, the people would bring out 
a charpai for us to sit upon, and, if it were not 
already gathered, the padre would open his Hin- 
doostanee hymn book and "sing up his crowd," as 
Chat termed it. Nearly the whole village came 
out, many women standing back on the outside of the 
crowd. On going to the village the second or third 
time, the minister said to father, " I shouldn't wonder 
if by to-day there would be some organized opposi- 
tion ; perhaps we shall find a priest with his book 
ready for a discussion." 

Sure enough, on entering, we found on a sort of 
elevated platform by a shop an old Sikh fakir with a 
a portion of the Grunt (his holy book) open before 
him, a companion on each side of him, a man on one 



294 TRYE'S YEAR. 

side and a boy fakir on the other. He at once ad- 
dressed the padre, told him to listen, and commenced 
reading what to our family was utterly incomprehen- 
sible, being pure Punjaubi, which language he also 
spoke ; but the minister got the drift of it, and 
adroitly taking up some part of what he had read, 
succeeded in quieting the old man in a respectful 
manner, and, excepting one or two slight interrup- 
tions, had no further trouble from him. The fakir 
did not come again. 

A young Mohammedan who had got a " little 
learning'^ somewhere, and was anxious to display 
his knowledge of Arabic, tried very hard to start a 
discussion. Taking up a remark that had been 
made to the effect that while there had been many 
prophets and holy men, guides to show us the way 
to heaven, there had been but one Saviour, One 
through whose mediation the way was opened, he 
said that Mohammed was a saviour. The mis- 
sionary asked him to bring the Koran the next day 
and show him the place where Mohammed claimed 
to be such. (It had already been stated that Mo- 
hammed had made no such claim.) Of course he 
was unable to do this. He was not altogether 
silenced, but on the whole gave little trouble after 
this. 



ITINERATING. 295 

One evening, after the preaching, an old man 
came to the minister, saying, '^ Oh, sahib, I am too 
old to learn, but won't you send us a teacher, that 
these children may learn ?" He told him that in 
Lahore they had hundreds of boys gathered in 
schools, but how impossible it was to furnish men 
for little villages where there are so few to learn. 

Returning to the bungalow at dusk, or after 
dark, many fires were kindled along the edge of the 
compound, around which w^ere groups of natives 
sitting, chatting and smoking the kukka. The 
minister w^ould go and have a talk, usually a quiet 
one, with one or more of these groups, and father 
generally accompanied him, while the remainder of 
us went to the house — not into it, for we enjoyed 
the veranda more. It was a singular sight to see 
the fires about the compound, and the dark figures 
now and then moving about in the lurid light. It 
was a new, wild life altogether, such as we could 
hardly have on our hemisphere. 

Those evenings w^ere delightful ones; I shall 
always remember them. The missionary lady told 
us so many interesting incidents that had come 
under her observation, and we were never weary of 
listening to them. I asked her one evening about 
a native lady I saw in Lahore, and she gave me her 



296 TBYE'S YEAB. 

history. This lady was a Bengali hibi (lady). Her 
parents, who lived in Calcutta, were wealthy Hin- 
doos, and she had been taught to read in her child- 
hood. She married a man of her own caste and 
grew up a bigoted Hindoo. Some time after her mar- 
riage she removed with her husband to Allahabad. 
Here a kind Baptist lady visited her and gave her 
instruction, but according to her own account she 
was very rude to the lady and fully set against the 
truths of our blessed Book. Meanwhile, her hus- 
band had procured a Bible, and was studying it, 
and she finally promised the lady to read it. 

Last year the family came to Lahore, the man, 
liis wife and two sons aged about thirteen and ten. 
The bibi brought her Bible and read it, according 
to her promise. She became more and more in- 
terested in it, till at last she felt that she must con- 
fess Christ as her Saviour. She knew no Cliristian 
here, and it is not strange that, in this large city, 
310 Christian knew anything of her. 

As her husband was out of employment for a 
time, she persuaded him to take her down to Agj-a, 
where she had met with some missionaries. She 
sought out these friends, who received her kindly 
and gave her instruction. Soon after this she 
announced to her husband her intention of being 



ITINERATING. 297 

baptized. He, meantime, had lost his interest in 
Christianity, was very angry at hearing this and 
treated her very cruelly. She, however, was firm, 
but upon her receiving baptism he left her and 
returned to Lahore. 

She occupied rooms in the house of her mission- 
ary friends for a few months, when her husband 
wrote her that he would receive her again, and 
she rejoined him. Her jewels, which are numerous 
and costly, she committed to the care of an English 
gentleman coming to Lahore, as she did not con- 
sider it safe to carry them herself. This gentleman 
informed our missionaries of her arrival, and they 
visit her frequently. The babu has lost caste by 
receiving his wife after her baptism, and is not 
allowed to drink from the same vessel with his 
Hindoo associates. He is called the Christian 
babu, and I hope he will become a real Christian. 

Another noble native Christian formed the sub- 
ject of our conversation one evening. If you 
could have heard our friend's account of his 
earnestness and his trials, you would have been as 
much interested in him as we were. The man's 
name is Maiya Dass; he was a Hindoo, but educated 
in the government school at Amritsir. A few 
years ago he heard one of our missionaries preach 



298 TEYE'S YEAB. 

in the bazaar, and was so impressed that he ob- 
tained religious books and read them with great 
care. He became convinced of the truths of the 
Bible and thought he would be a secret follower of 
Jesus. 

A native Christian minister came to preach at 
his station, and after frequent conversations with 
him persuaded him of his error. Maiya saw that 
it was his duty to confess Christ before men, but 
how could he do it ? His mother, one of the most 
bigoted of Hindoos, according to native custom, 
had the management of household affairs, and in- 
sisted upon presenting the food that she had pre- 
pared for the family, first to idols. Of her he had 
little hope, but his wife, whom he had taught to 
read and write, he fondly trusted would, if he 
waited for her, espouse Christianity, and be bap- 
tized with him. 

But the decision was made, and he wrote to Bev. 
C, B. Newton to come from Lahore and baptize 
him. We were shown the letter he sent, and it is 
so full of trust in his Saviour that I will copy it 
for you. 

'^ My Dear and Reverend Sir : Blessed be 
the name of the Lord who has so mercifully given 
me strength and courage to come out boldly and 



ITINERATING. 299 

confess his name openly at last ! I am so liappy to 
inform you that I hope to be baptized on Sunday, 
the 14th inst., and I have made up my mind. It is 
the Lord that has done all this for me, even for me. 
I have suffered much in struggling with the worldly 
concerns which can be more easily imagined than 
described, but it is all over now; I feel calm and 
happy as I am ; although a storm does come now 
and then, it is soon driven away by Him who is my 
Strength, my Kock, my All. 

'' As I would like it very much that you may bap- 
tize me in the name of the Lord, therefore I shall 
be so happy if you could come without putting 
yourself to a great inconvenience, but I am afraid 
the heat may be of some hindrance in your way. 
Mr. Isa Charan says he will baptize me on Sunday 
if you cannot come. I would have received the 
holy baptism immediately, but have put it off till 
the approaching Sunday, that, if possible, you may 
come, which will, I can assure you, give me great 
pleasure. 

" Hoping you may be able to come without put- 
ting yourself to much trouble, I remain, my dear 
sir, 

" Your unworthy friend in Jesus, 

'' Maiya Dass.'' 



300 TRYE'S YEAR. 

Tlie minister readily consented to baptize him, 
but I will give you the account in the lady's own 
words : " All the city was moved. Maiya Dass 
was of high caste, had inherited considerable prop- 
erty from his father, besides having- a lucrative sit- 
uation, was well educated, and withal had so much 
nobility of character that he was universally es- 
teemed. Such a person must not be allowed to 
throw himself away till every means should be 
exhausted to prevent. On the day before the bap- 
tism, relatives came from Amritsir to dissuade him 
from his purpose, and on Saturday morning his 
friends thronged the house, beseeching him not to 
leave the faith of his fathers. Finally wearied with 
this, and desiring quiet for thought and prayer, he 
took occasion, during an interval in these visits, to 
drive off to the cantonments. 

" In the afternoon a party of relatives, headed by 
the mother, came to the serai where Mr. Newton 
was staying, and falling on their faces before him, 
beating their foreheads against the ground, besought 
him to give them back the heart of their friend, 
that had been stolen from them and their religion. 
It was vain for Mr. Newton to assure them that he 
possessed no power to do this. They left him, and 
with a large crowd gathered about the house of Mai- 



ITINERATING. 301 

ya Dass, to await his return. Having found entreaty 
useless, they determined on another course. Seiz- 
ing the horse, they first dragged him and his friends 
from the wagon; they again thrust him in, and 
one of their number took the reins and drove 
him to his home in the city. His friends attempted 
to extricate him, but were so outnumbered that it 
was impossible. 

" After some delay, a squad of policemen went 
to the house and liberated the prisoner. It was 
not considered prudent to have the baptism in the 
mission church in the city, so, early on Sabbath 
morning, a little company went over to the can- 
tonments, and the ordinance was administered in 
the Library building. 

" According to a previous promise, Maiya Dass 
returned to his home immediately after his baptism, 
but the experience of two or three days showed him 
that it would be quite impossible to live with his 
family, so he came back to the rooms he had pre- 
viously occupied. He occasionally hears from them 
of their continued desire for his return to Hindoo- 
ism. Meantime he is fervently praying for their 
conversion to Christianity, and is striving to do all 
he can by conversation, giving testaments, tracts, 
etc., for his heathen friends who still visit him." 




XXXIX. 

BENAEES. 

NE more letter, and from Benares, but this 
is positively my last from India. We 
could not leave the country without a 
visit to the sacred city of the Hindoos, and 
are detained here a day longer than we had antici- 
pated, so I have an opportunity of "taking my 
pen in hand," etc. We are near the holy Ganges 
again, and in the most holiest of all holy places. 
If even a beef-eater happen to die within ten miles 
of this sanctum sanctorum, he will go direct to 
heaven, according to Hindoo theology. It is no 
wonder, then, that the believers in such a doctrine 
flock to this place and desire to end their days 
here. 

An Indian legend says that Benares was for- 
merly built of gold, but on account of the wicked- 
ness of the people it became mud. Still, this mud 
is very sacred ; they call the city the " lotus of the 
world,'^ and according to one story declare it to be 
founded on the point of Siva's trident. Now, as 

302 



BENARES. 303 

you may imagine, I am not going to give a regular 
description of this wonderful place, but I must 
tell you of some sights we saw ; my letters would 
be very incomplete without it. 

In the iSrst place, Benares is on the north side 
of the Ganges, and on the outside of the curve 
which the river makes just here. It stretches for 
about three miles along the river, and about a 
mile back from it on ground higher than that 
across the river. The English town known as 
Secrole stands entirely by itself, and is laid out 
with broad streets, but it is of the real Benares 
that I want to write. 

We started out to explore it as soon as possible 
after our arrival, for we wanted to see all that was 
to be seen of course. Father got ponies for us to 
ride, as that mode of traveling seemed to be the 
safest. I don't mean that we are in danger of 
our lives from enemies, but the streets are so very 
narrow and crooked in some places that we really 
could hardly tell how we were going to come out. 
We didn't canter along very gayly, I assure you, 
for we met constantly donkeys and camels and 
men and women and sacred bulls, besides an oc- 
casional elephant whose huge body reached from 
wall to wall. Then, as we went on, we met hordes 



304 TRYE'S YEAR. 

of religious beggars, and what were more repul- 
sive than all the animals, the fakirs. 

I thought I had seen them in their worst form, 
but Benares bears the palm. A traveler has truly 
said, " The mendicants from the numerous Hindoo 
sects, with every conceivable deformity which chalk, 
cow-dung, disease, matted locks, distorted limbs 
and disgusting and hideous attitudes of penance 
can show, literally line the principal streets on both 
sides." We saw some with their hands clenched 
till their finger-nails had pierced entirely through 
the hand ; others had stood upon one leg till the 
other was of little use ; others had one arm shriveled 
and paralyzed from holding it for years in the same 
position. Oh, it makes me sick at heart to see these 
poor deluded beings living this wretched life in 
the vain belief that they will earn eternal happi- 
ness! 

We rode on until we came to the famous Door- 
gha Khond, a temple dedicated to the goddess 
Doorgha, but really devoted to monkeys. Just 
imagine thousands — ^yes, thousands ! — of these lit- 
tle fellows running about the temple, on the house- 
tops, in the street, everywhere around. Being holy, 
they are at liberty to do what they please, and are 
fully aware of the fact, for they are as saucy as they 



BENAEES. 305 

can be. As we were standing at the door of the 
temple, one hanging over it put down his paw and 
caught Chat's cap. He had hardly time to look up 
before the fellow had it up on the roof. It was not 
a very pleasant position to be in, Chat thought, but 
he enjoyed the fun, and finally the monkey dropped 
the cap at his feet. 

But more sacred than the monkeys are the bulls, 
which are a greater nuisance. No one is allowed to 
disturb them, though they may eat everything eat- 
able from a stand or take it into their heads to dash 
into a china store. They are fat, lazy animals, con- 
tinually in your way. Father told us how the 
English managed with them a few years ago ; I 
think they showed as much ingenuity as a Yankee 
could in similar circumstances. 

The bulls had multiplied to such an extent that 
the English decided to- rid the place of them if 
possible. They could not have them killed without 
raising great opposition, and probably another re- 
bellion. " To kill the Brahmin bulls would be a 
thousand times worse than to behead so many 
princes." At last they hit upon the right plan ; 
they turned them out to graze in the jungle, where 
the tigers made short work with them. 

We passed a temple at almost every turn ; there 

20 



306 TRYE'S YEAR. 

are hundreds of tliem, but they are generally 
neither large nor imposing. It is said that the 
idols of Benares number more than half a million. 
From what I have told you, you will be apt to 
think that Benares is a dull, sluggish old town, 
given to idolatry, with no thought of business. 
Strange to say, that idea would be a very wrong 
one. It is as decidedly a business city as it is a 
religious one, and you can see the stir and bustle 
of life and activity by going into the streets. 

Here is the factory of the famous brocade of 
Benares, where are made magnificent gold brocades 
worth a hundred dollars, sometimes hundreds of 
dollars, a yard. Here are manufactories of silk and 
cotton and fine wool and gold and silver lace. 
Here is an extensive trade in the fine steel of Eng- 
lish make, and many other articles of commerce. 

We decided unanimously that riding through 
the streets, where our ponies were taxed to the ut- 
most to know how to get through, was not the best 
means of seeing the city, so Ave took a boat and 
sailed around the semi-circle. Then we could see 
the grandeur of the holy city ; it was before us and 
around us. " Its most massive structures have 
their foundations laid in the river itself, and rise up 
a hundred feet by terraces or ghauts, broad stone 



BENARES. 307 

stairways, so that the palaces and mosques and tem- 
ples overhang the river.'^ 

I shall long remember our sail down the river ; 
perhaps the rest and quiet were better appreciated 
from succeeding our perilous ride through the 
streets. It was so delightful to glide along, taking 
in the view before us and having the places of in- 
terest pointed out and explained. We passed 
numerous ghauts where men and women in great 
numbers came down the stone steps to the river 
to wash away their sins. We saw many bowing 
and repeating their prayers to the river itself. 
They seemed to be entirely unconscious of what 
was going on around them. Frequently we came 
to a landing-place where the Hindoo dead were 
burned. We saw pile after pile made ready for the 
torch, and some bodies that were already undergoing 
the cremation, filling the air with a dense smoke 
and perfume of which it makes me sick to think. 

The principal mosque of the city is the Great 
Mosque of Aurungzebe, which rises up from the 
water^s edge, massive and tall and grand. Chat 
said that they ought to have thrown Aurungzebe 
from one of the minarets into the river, but I en- 
joyed the building just as much as if the builder 
had been a better man. 



308 TBYE'S YEAR. 

When we left the boat to go up into the city, it 
was indeed ^^ up/^ for a hundred steps were before us. 
On our return to Secrole we passed the residence 
of the Rajah Sumbhoo Nargen Singh, who, father 
told us, has just succeeded to that title on account 
of his father's death. His father, Sir Deo Nargen 
Singh, though a Hindoo, was very liberal in his 
views, and did much for the good of others. He 
remained faithful to the British during the mu- 
tiny in 1857. For this and other services to the 
government, he was made a knight commander 
of the star of India. The queen so highly appre- 
ciated his services as to send him a very valuable 
piece of silver plate as a gift from her royal self. 

But we have seen so much in Benares that I 
hardly know what to mention particularly. Per- 
haps nothing has occupied more of our time and at- 
tention than the sacred wells, and I think you will 
be interested in them. 

The first well we visited was the Gy^n Bapi, or 
Gyan Ktip, "well of knowledge,'^ in which the na- 
tives believe the god Siva resides. This well is be- 
tween the mosque and temple of Bish^swar, and is 
not the pleasantest place in the world to visit for 
mortals who are provided with olfactories. 

They have a tradition that " once upon a time '' 



SACUED WELLS. 309 

Benares was without rain for twelve years, and of 
course the people suffered greatly in consequence. 
They were relieved at length by a Bishi, '^ one of 
the mythical beings, not exactly divine, and cer- 
tainly not mortal, who, to the number of many thou- 
sands, are reverenced by the Hindoos/' He grasped 
the trident of Siva, dug up the earth at this spot, 
and ever since there has been a good supply of water 
in the well. 

When Siva was informed of this circumstance, he 
promised to take up his abode in the well and re- 
side there for ever. It is said that when the old 
temple of Bish^swar was destroyed, a priest took 
the idol of the temple and cast it down there for 
safety, so I suppose the well must be doubly sacred. 
The natives were thronging the place when we ar- 
rived, so for a time we could only stand at a dis- 
tance and watch the deluded devotees. 

They were throwing in the well flowers, rice and 
a variety of articles in sacrifice to the deity below. 
The mixture thus formed is in a constant state of 
decay, and the stench from it is almost insupport- 
able. The well is surrounded by " a handsome 
low-roofed colonnade, the stone pillars of which are 
in four rows, and are upwards of forty in number.^' 
This tasteful building was erected in 1828 by Sri 



310 TBYE'S YEAR 

^Taut Baija Bai, widow of Sri Maut Dowlat Ras 
yiiidhia Bahadoor, of Gwalior. 

North-west from the Gjan Ktip is Ad-BIsh^swar, 
the temple of the " Primeval Lord of AIL'^ Quite 
near this temple is Kiisi Karwat, a sacred well, to 
which we next directed our steps. " Besides the 
vertical opening, there is a passage leading down to 
the water, which formerly was traversed daily by 
religious Hindoos desirous of approaching the 
holiest part of the well/' Siva is also the god of 
this well. A few years ago a man offered himself 
in sacrifice to him, when the authorities caused the 
passage to be closed. The priests, however, com- 
plained that a large part of their income would 
thus be cut off, so they are allowed to open it every 
Monday. 

We visited the Kal Ktip, or Well of Fate, but 
not at the proper time of day to learn anything of 
our own fortunes. In the trellis-work of the outer 
wall is a square hole so situated that the sun's rays 
pass through it and strike the water in the well at 
exactly twelve o'clock. At that hour numbers 
visit it, and those who cannot trace their shadows 
in the water are doomed to die within six months, 
according to the Hindoo belief. 

A more famous well is Manikarnika. " Its fetid 



SACRED WELLS. 311 

water is regarded as a healing baloi, which will 
infallibly wash away all the sins of the soul and 
make it pure and holy. There is no sin so heinous 
or abominable but, in popular estimation, it is here 
instantly effaced. Even for the crime of murder it 
can, it is said, procure forgiveness.'^ 

Stone steps lead down to the water on the four 
sides. The seven lowermost steps are said to be 
without a joining, although we could see several 
without looking very closely. The people like to 
delude themselves in this way. The Brahmins say 
that these seams are only superficial, and that the 
seven steps are a part of the original work per- 
formed by divine hands. This well is dedicated to 
the god Vishnu. There are several stories about 
its origin, some of which we have either heard or 
read. I will give you one as very soberly stated in 
the Kasi-Khanda : 

" The god Vishnu dug this well with his discus, 
and, in lieu of w-ater, filled it with the perspiration 
from his own body, and gave it the name of Chakra- 
pushkarini. He then proceeded to its north side 
and began to practice asceticism. In the mean time, 
the god Siva arrived, and, looking into the well, 
beheld in it the beauty of a hundred millions of 
suns, with which he was so enraptured that he at 



312 TRYE'S YEAR. 

once broke out into loud praises of Vishnu, and 
in his joy declared that whatever gift he might ask 
of him he would grant. 

" Gratified at the oifer, Vishnu replied that his 
request was that Siva should always reside with 
him. Siva^ hearing this, felt greatly flattered by 
it, and his body shook with delight. From the 
violence of the motion an ear-ring called Manikar- 
nika fell from his ear into the well. From this 
circumstance Siva gave the well the name of 
Manikarnika. Among the epithets applied to it 
are those of Muktikshetra, ^ seat of liberation/ and 
Ptirnasubhakaran, * complete source of felicity.' 
Siva further decreed that it should be the chief and 
the most efficacious among places of pilgrimage." 

Another well which we saw is the Nag Kuan, or 
Serpent's AVell, which, father says, is thought to 
be very old. '' Steep stone stairs, in the form of a 
square, lead down to the well, and a broad wall of 
good masonry, six or seven feet thick, surrounds 
them at their summit, rising to the height of four 
or five feet above the ground. Each of the four 
series of stairs has an entrance of its own. Their 
junction below forms a small square, in the centre 
of which is the well. Descending twelve stone 
steps, you reach the water, w^hich is stagnant and 



SACRED WELLS. 313 

foul. Beneath the water is a sheet of iron, which 
constitutes the door leading to a still lower well, 
which perhaps may be the old well in its original 
state/' 

The Nag, or Serpent, is worshiped at this well. 
There is a figure representing three serpents in a 
niche in the wall of one of the stairs ; and on the 
floor is an image of Siva in stone, with a snake 
crawling up it. It is humiliating to think that 
human beings worship such objects as these, yet 
many come here with earnest and sincere hearts, 
expecting to receive a divine blessing. 

This well is visited only once a year for religious 
purposes, in the Hindoo month of Sawan, Avhen 
snakes are most numerous. A festival is held then 
called the Nag-Panchami Mela. Men and women 
of all ranks attend the mela and bathe in the 
well. Persons of respectability do not prolong their 
stay after they have sacrificed and bathed. 

There are other wells here, the Dharm-Kup, 
Chandra Kup, or Well of the Moon, etc., but 
these were about as many as we could endure in 
one visit to the holy city, and probably as many as 
you care to hear about. 

While passing one of the temples we noticed an 
unusual number of persons collected at the door, 



314 TRYE'S YEAR. 

and stopped to learn the cause. A young girl 
seemed to be the principal actor in the scene, but 
she looked far from happy. We found that we had 
come to a wedding, but a very strange one. The 
parents of this girl had vowed to one of the gods 
that if he would spare the life of their sick son, 
they would devote this daughter to him. The son 
was restored to health, and the poor parents were 
fulfilling their vow. The girl was married to the 
hideous idol with a great many ceremonies by 
the priests and sacrifices by the parents. We re- 
mained until the parents left, and you need not 
think me foolish when I tell you that I wept to see 
them depart without their daughter. The mother 
was almost overcome, but she bore up bravely, for 
she thought she was doing right. The girl looked 
so wistfully after her, it must have been so trying 
for them both. Oh, how hard and cruel their relig- 
ion is ! and it brings them only bitter disappoint- 
ment in the end. This girl was left to live about 
the temple, perhaps to devote herself to idol-wor- 
ship, but most probably, father says, to live a life 
of shame and disgrace. There are too many of 
these forsaken women, who aid in the indecent prac- 
tices that pass for worship at some of the Hindoo 
festivals. So much evil has the sanction of the 



S ACRED WELLS. 315 

gods that, mother says, the system of idolatry is 
far more corrupt than we can see in our passing 
glance. How it makes the religion of Jesus stand 
out in spotless majesty by the contrast ! How it 
shows our precious Saviour the One "altogether 
lovely," the One " fairer than the sons of men," 
and the only One by whom we can be saved ! 

In the first part of this letter I told you of 
our visit to the Doorga Khond ; I must add the 
story of the Doorga, as related by the Hindoo 
writers : 

" There was once a famous demon named Doorg, 
son of another demon named Ruru, who devoted 
himself to the performance of ascetic rites, and so 
severely and successfully applied himself to their 
exercise that he acquired a prodigious stock of 
merit, and, together with it, unbounded power. 
By degrees he became superior to all the deities, 
who fled from his presence and hid themselves; 
while Doorg, entering their dominions and usurp- 
ing their authority, began to transact the affairs of 
the world. Indra himself, the king of the gods, 
was obliged to surrender his sceptre to him ; and 
in the like manner, Agni (the god of Fire), Pavana 
(the god of the Winds) and Jala (the god of Water) 
submitted to his irresistible authority. The demon 



316 TRYE'S YEAR. 

put a stop to religion among men^ and injastice^ 
tyranny and oppression spread over the earth, 

"He treated the gods most ignominiouslyj and 
ordered them to feed his cows. These divine per- 
sonages, in their distress, went in a body to Siva, to 
whom they represented their miserable condition. 
Taking pity on them, Siva commanded Gauri, his 
wife, to go and kill the demon, and deliver the 
gods from their calamities. Thereupon, Gauri 
summoned the bloody goddess Mahakali, and in- 
structed her to slay the demon. In obedience to 
her instructions, Mahakali set out to attack Doorg ; 
but Doorg, hearing of her approach, called together 
his relatives and servants, and said to them, ^ Seize 
this woman, and take care she does not escape.' 

" They then seized Mahakali, and were carrying 
her oif to the house of the demon, but on the 
way, in her anger, she darted fire from her mouth 
and burned them all to ashes. On witnessing this 
mishap, Doorg gathered together a large number 
of his adherents and sent them to recapture the 
goddess. But these fared no better than their pre- 
decessors, and were destroyed in a similar manner. 
The demon was now exceedingly annoyed, and 
assembled an immense army, numbering several 
millions of persons, and sent it against the goddess. 



JDOOEGA. 317 

"Daunted by such a host, Mahakali fled, and 
ascended to heaven in the form of a balloon, fol- 
lowed by the army, which soared up to the skies 
in pursuit of her. After a time the army descended 
to the earth again, and encamped on Bindhyachal ; 
but Mahakali kept on her way until she came to 
Gauri, to whom she narrated the circumstances of 
her journey, adding that a vast army was on its 
way to capture her. On receiving this intelligence, 
Gauri became incarnate in a body, possessing a 
thousand arms, of such gigantic dimensions that 
it reached from earth to heaven. When Doorg 
beheld her, he was smitten with her beauty, and 
declared to his people that whoever among them 
should capture her should sit on the throne of 
Indra. 

"Excited by the prospect of obtaining such a 
high distinction, several regiments of the army 
made a rush upon Gauri, with so great an uproar 
that the four elephants which supported the earth 
on their backs became terrified and fled in dismay 
to Bindhyachal. Gauri was delighted at seeing 
them, and in her own defence immediately created 
an army of gods and instruments of warfare. A 
large number of the enemy were slain through 
the powder and activity of the goddess ; and Doorg 



318 TBYE'S YEAR. 

himself, smarting under the loss he had sustained, 
now took part in the conflict. Holding in his 
hands a trident, a sword, a bow and arrows, he 
came on with irresistible impetuosity, and, approach- 
ing Gauri, inflicted upon her a heavy blow. The 
goddess fainted, but, presently recovering herself, 
arose and ordered the gods to engage with the foe. 

" The battle between the gods and the demons 
now became general, during which Doorg and Gauri 
fought together, and, fighting, ascended to heaven 
and descended to the earth again. On reaching the 
earth, the demon seized a stone and threw it at the 
goddess, who, on its coming near, breathed a curse 
upon it and reduced it to powder. He then laid 
hold of an entire mountain, and, raising it up, hurled 
it at Gauri ; but she crumbled it also to powder, and 
with her weapon struck the demon, who, uttering a 
loud cry, fell to the ground. The merciless goddess 
then cut off the head of Doorg, and all the enemies 
being slain, the battle was most satisfactorily ended. 

^^ The gods now approached Gauri, and began to 
extol her for her valor and exploits, and showered 
flowers from heaven on the earth below. The 
celestial danseuses, musicians and minstrels, Apsa- 
ras, Gandharvas and Kinnaras, were summoned, 
and, together with the gods, Munis and Rishis, 



DOOBGA, 319 

joined in rendering praise to Gauri. Gratified 
with the honor paid to her, the goddess gave utter- 
ance to these words : ^ Whoever shall repeat what 
has been written in my praise shall be delivered 
from pain and fear, and I will make myself present 
when invoked with eulogies that name me. I will 
also change my appellation to Doorga, by which, 
in the future, I wish to be addressed, because I have 
slain the demon Doorg/ Having said this, she 
vanished, and order was every where re-established/' 
Such is the story; what do you think of it? 
Father says it is not more improbable than most 
of the tales about their gods and goddesses, and 
there are so many of them. Almost any Hindoo 
can entertain you with numbers of remarkable 
stories, all of which, he generally believes implicitly. 
Chat has learned enough of the language to under- 
stand much of the conversation of the natives, and 
they tell him a great many tales. He will have a 
large stock of them to repeat when we see you. 
Chat has more patience in listening to these tales than 
I have. By the time I hear two or three I begin to 
want something more sensible. I hope the time 
will come when the sweet story of the manger of 
Bethlehem and the cross of Calvary will be 
known and loved by every Hindoo. 



320 TBYE'S YEAR. 

Now I have touched upon this old city, and tliat 
is all I promised you. But a few points have I 
gathered for you from the grand panorama that has 
passed before my eyes since I entered this wonderful 
land. Would that I had the power to give to others 
the pictures which my mind receives, in all their 
fullness and vividness ! Alas that so many of the 
rays from above are absorbed or refracted by pass- 
ing through even the purest earthly medium ! 

We start upon our homeward journey to-morrow 
morning, my dear brother, and I must seek my 
rest to be prepared for an early awakening. Good- 
bye to India. 



THE END. 



